


It's a Love Story (Baby Just Say Yes)

by burnintoash (funnymorning)



Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Also 2Park if you squints, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, It is not a fake dating!AU if there is no dating involved, M/M, Ong/Chungha because I do what I want, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-09 06:38:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 41,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12882255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/funnymorning/pseuds/burnintoash
Summary: A story of love, friendship and how Sungwoon's love life gets fucked because Kim Chungha gets herself a boyfriend





	1. Sungwoon

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Is it another college!AU? Yes, unfortunately.  
> 2\. It was supposed to be a quick one shot because we all need a little Ong and Chungha in our lives but here we are, three months of writing and 41k words later fml  
> 3\. Did I name it after Taylor Swift's most annoying song? Yes, I have no excuse.

Chungha has gone to the toilet for at least 30 minutes now. Not that Sungwoon is counting the minutes or anything because that’d be creepy. It is just that they were supposed to be leaving the library at 7 so they can still make a run for the last hour of Happy Tuesday 2-for-1 deal at Wang Burger before it ends at 8 and now it is 25 past 7, a whole 30 minutes after Chungha told him that she’s gonna run to the toilet and fix her fallen eyelashes.

 

Sungwoon does not know a lot about make up but the make up industry needs to get it together if it takes 30 minutes to glue back your fake lashes.

 

He can’t even call her because she left her phone here and Sungwoon is half worried that she had slipped and fell and brained herself in the toilet because let’s be real, for someone with the supposed grace and poise of a dancer, Chungha is also capable of knocking herself out in the most idiotic ways possible. She ran into a glass door once, in broad daylight, completely sober.

 

Sungwoon has just decided to be a complete creep and go lurk around the women’s washroom when Chungha turns the corner and walks towards the table they are seated in, looking completely in a daze. Maybe his ‘brain-herself-on-a-toilet-bowl’ theory wasn’t that far off after all. She actually walks past him before almost running into the wall behind them if it is not for Sungwoon who jumps after her and catches her by the elbow.

 

“Do you have a concussion?” He asks and Chungha blinks, looking like she is seeing him for the first time. “How badly did you fall?”

 

“Huh?” Chungha blinks and stares at him before opening and closing her mouth for a couple of times.

 

“You ok?” Sungwoon asks again, wondering if he should actually take her to the school clinic.

 

“Dude,” Chungha says. “I think I just got a boyfriend.”

 

And that is how Sungwoon’s romantic life gets turned upside down.

 

Because Kim Chungha got herself a boyfriend.

 

* * *

 

“You went to the toilet for half an hour and bagged yourself a man?” Sungwoon says, munching on the emergency stash of dried sweet potato chips Chungha has in her bag. They are not going to make it to the burger place for Happy Hour anyway and matters at hand are more pressing than the calories-loaded oil-dripped lumps of buttered bread and meat goodness. “You need to teach me your ways.”

 

“This…” Chungha says, waving her hand at her face wildly. “…. is not something you can teach. You have to be born with it. Plus, you don’t have my kind of boobs.”

 

“Yes, I mourn my boobs-less existence every passing day.” Sungwoon deadpans. “C’mon. Who’s the guy? Do I know him? Actually, I don’t think there is a guy you know that I don’t know, so if I don’t know him, that means you are dating a stranger dude and I am gonna be very disappointed in you if you do.”

 

“Your approval means nothing to me.” Chungha rolls her eyes. “Plus, what if I am dating like, I don’t know, Won Bin? That’s a stranger you can’t be disappointed in.”

 

“Won Bin is a happily married man but I am not going to comment on your home-wrecking fantasies right now because you are stalling.”

 

“No, I am not!”

 

“Yes, you are. C’mon. It can’t be that bad, right? Unless it is Taehyun. Oh my god, please tell me it is not Taehyun.”

 

“It is not Taehyun.” Chungha grits through her pursed lips. “It is … Ong Seongwoo.”

 

Huh. Really.

 

“You know, it is not that surprising when I think about it. He’s in like, what, three of our classes and you two are in the university dance team together.” Sungwoon says. “I didn’t know he was into you though.”

 

“Right?” Chungha nods at him enthusiastically and says. “I just run into him on the way back here and then he asked if I wanted to go out with him, and I just said … yes.”

 

Sungwoon snorts. “Weren’t you just saying the other day how much you hate all men and you only tolerate me because of, you said and I quote, my flaming gayness and because you pity me being attracted to the subpar species that is male specimen?”

 

“Ok, that was because Taehyun ate all my peanut butter. You know that.” Chungha says decisively before chomping down on a chip. “Plus, Ong Seongwoo is cute, right? I mean, he was looking at me all intense and hopeful and I am only human, Sungwoon.”

 

“So, you are going out with him because of his cute face and intense sex stares?” Sungwoon raises an eyebrow. “What about other qualities you need in a boyfriend?”

 

“Like what?”

 

“That shape of his ass? The size of his dick?”

 

Chungha leans over to smack him in the forehead, and ok, Sungwoon kind of deserved that.

 

“He is always very nice to me.” Chungha says and Sungwoon is feeling a bit too fond of her right now to think that she is being gross for blushing. “He always stayed late with me to teach me point choreos at the club and he even helped me ice my ankle that time I sprained it. Hah. Actually, I should have seen it coming, but you know, people are always falling over themselves for me so I didn’t think much of it. You can’t possibly relate.”

 

And the fond feeling is gone, just like that. It was nice when it lasted.

 

“When are you going out?” Sungwoon asks.

 

“Tomorrow. Dinner and a movie.” Chungha smiles before the smile drops and her eyes widen comically. “Oh my god, I’ve got nothing to wear.”

 

“You have three boxes of clothes stacked in the living room because they won’t fit into your room anymore.” Sungwoon reminds her.

 

“Those are mostly sweatpants and band shirts.” Chungha waves a hand and says. “I have nothing date-appropriate. Hey, do you think that leather dress I usually wear for clubbing shows too much cleavage for a first date?”

 

“I think it looks too much dominatrix for a first date.” Sungwoon says. Seriously. That dress got buckles. And chains. “Unless you think Ong Seongwoo is into that stuff.”

 

Chungha shakes her head and reaches for her phone. “I gotta get Na Young to go shopping with me tomorrow. Hey, can you sigh my roll call for tomorrow Comm class? Crap, no, wait. Seongwoo is in that class. If I don’t turn up, he’d think I am avoiding him or chicken out. Do you think I can fit a trip to Hongdae between 4 to 6 and still have time to do my make up? It’d take only like 45 minutes if Na Young is free to help me out.”

 

“Hetero relationships are so much work.” Sungwoon says and shakes his head as Chungha furiously types into her phone. “Glad I don’t have those troubles.”

 

“No, the only troubles you’ve had is figuring out how to gross me out with your next pining sentiments over Kang Daniel and how to hide your gay boner for him every time you run into him.” Chungha replies without even looking up from her phone.

 

“None of those is true.” Sungwoon glares at her.

 

“So the recording I have had in my phone of you saying how much you want to climb him like a tree is recorded by your twin brother with the exact same pitch?”

 

“I was drunk!” Sungwoon protests. “And I told you to delete that recording!”

 

“The fact that you think I actually would delete it means you don’t know me after all these years of friendship. I am disappointed.”

 

Sungwoon rolls his eyes. He does know her and her phone passcode and he’ll just delete that damning recording himself later. Easy.

 

“Hey, maybe I can, you know, talk to Seongwoo and see if you can be a potential bone bro for Kang Daniel.” Chungha says brightly.

 

“You will do nothing of sort, and also stop saying bone bro. It’s weird.”

 

“Hook-up homie? Sexing sibling? Ok, that one sounds way more incest-y than I intended to. My bad.”

 

Sungwoon just rolls his eyes. “Just… enjoy your date and talk about yourself. Don’t worry about me. I am begging you. Please don’t.”

 

“Fine.” Chungha says. “Maybe we can do a double date later.”

 

“Chungha!”

 

“Right. Right. Focus on myself. Hey, Na Young says she knows a good dress shop that opens all night in Dongdaemun. Come and carry my shopping bags?”

 

“In your fucking dream.”

 

“You know, it is kind of difficult to just talk about yourself for an entire date. Maybe I’ll talk to Seongwoo all about how much you have been lusting and crushing after his best friend for a good half year.”

 

“I hate you. From the bottom of my heart.”

 

“Tell me how much you hate me while following me around and carrying my bags. C’mon. I’ll buy you pizza.”

 

* * *

 

 Sungwoon pushes around the lone sad leftover meatball on his plate with his fork and sips down on his soda aggressively. Chungha is at her date and Sungwoon wonders if it is always going to be like this from now on – Chungha off with her boyfriend and with Taehyun and Na Young being in different majors, Sungwoon is this lone loser eating his dinner alone in the cafeteria. Who is he even going to get his 2-for-1 burgers with now?

 

“Hey,” a tray with two bowls of spaghetti and a side of fries the size of a small hill appears in front of him and Sungwoon looks up to see Kang Daniel sliding into the seat in front of him. “Do you mind if I sit here?”

 

“Erm. No.” Sungwoon shakes his head dumbly. “Go ahead.”

 

Sungwoon agrees without even knowing why. It is not like there aren’t a bunch of empty chairs in the cafeteria right now. It is not even peak hours because Sungwoon overrun his meeting and had to have his dinner late.

 

“Did you skip lunch or something?” He can’t help but asks as Daniel shoves about seven cut fries into his mouth.

 

“Oh, no.” Daniel shakes his head and answers. “The cafeteria’s servings are kind of small so me and Seongwoo hyung always got three servings between the two of us but he is not here today so I got two servings for myself.”

 

“Ah,” Sungwoon gives a knowing nod and sips on his soda. “Abandoned by your close comrade for a lustful night of worldly sins. I know how that feels, brah.”

 

“Or you can just call it a date.”

 

“Isn’t that what I said?”

 

Kang Daniel just shakes his head and laughs. And continues to shove a fork full of spaghetti the size of Sungwoon’s fist into his mouth. It is weirdly attractive.

 

Sungwoon sips the last of his soda and awkwardly shakes his leg.

 

It is not like he has ever hanged out with Kang Daniel before, alone or not, because they are not that kind of acquaintances. Seongwoo and Daniel just happened to be in some of the classes he and Chungha are in and they know Chungha from the dance club so Sungwoon has to know them by the third degree of separation. And Sungwoon’s shameful sex-related thoughts about Kang Daniel aside, they are the kind of acquaintances who nod at each other with awkward smiles when they see each other on the bus or something. Not the kind of people who grab dinner together. But then again, he should probably get used to it since their best bros are now dating each other and ditching Sungwoon and Daniel to be friendless losers.

 

“I actually wanted to talk to you.” Kang Daniel puts down his fork and says.

 

“Um. Go ahead?”

 

“So, you know Seongwoo hyung, right? Ong Seongwoo? The guy who is always with me and the guy who is dating your friend?”

 

“I know who Ong Seongwoo is.” Sungwoon cuts him off.

 

“Right, yeah.” Kang Daniel laughs, almost manically and Sungwoon wonders why he has never noticed how weird Kang Daniel is. It must have been those blinding biceps.

 

“So, what about Ong Seongwoo?” Sungwoon asks.

 

“Right. See. I might have told him that, you know, that Ikindoflikeyoulikelikeyou.” Kang Daniel rushes out words and Sungwoon doesn’t catch anything except ‘like’ and ‘you’, and those words cannot possibly be arranged in the way that he thinks they are.

 

“Can you … repeat that?” He requests.

 

Kang Daniel sighs resolutely. “I told him that I like you.”

 

There is suddenly a bunch of butterflies in Sungwoon’s stomach fluttering around and blocking his wind pipes (yes, it doesn’t make sense anatomically, he knows) and that is the only reason why Sungwoon kind of chokes and cannot form words to reply.

 

“It is … kind of a long story…” Kang Daniel trails off, probably seeing the shell-shocked and slack-jawed look on Sungwoon’s face.

 

“Talk.” Sungwoon says. Kang Daniel fidgets with his fork, hesitating, like he doesn’t just drop the biggest bomb on Sungwoon’s life.

 

“I am going to tell you something nobody knows.” Daniel says. “Not even Seongwoo hyung knows, and he can never know.”

 

“Erm. Ok?” Sungwoon replies.

 

“I am…” Daniel says and purses his lips tight.

 

“Dude, c’mon, you are killing me here.”

 

“I like Chungha too.” Kang Daniel says, effectively murdering all the butterflies in Sungwoon’s stomach. Really. His stomach is now the land of dead butterflies. A butterfly tomb of unrequited crushes and unjust lives.

 

“But Seongwoo hyung likes her as well,” the butterfly murderer in front of him continues talking. “And you know, I don’t want to get in the way.”

 

“Yes, I get it. You are every male second lead in dramas. But what does your cliché love triangle gotta do with me?”

 

“I think Seongwoo hyung kind of noticed I have a crush on her. I mean, we’ve known each other forever and you know, he might have noticed something. So he asked me the other day, before he asked her out, if I have any feeling for her as well, and I just kind of panicked. And I might have told him that I don’t like her, but you, since you two are also attached at the hips.”

 

“And he believed you?” Sungwoon blinks. “Do you even like guys?”

 

“Yeah, I dated this douchebag when I was in high school. Don’t ask. It was horrible. Anyway, since then, I’ve been kind of, you know, quite reluctant about dating guys, so I think he bought it. He probably just thought I was too scared to actually ask you out.”

 

“Huh.” Sungwoon says, speechless. This is definitely not the way he wants to be finding out that Kang Daniel is into guys.

 

“I am really sorry to get you involved.” Daniel says, looking sincere. “It is just, Seongwoo hyung liked Chungha for a long time, ever since she joined the dance club. He enrolled in any overlapping class between our majors so we could be in the same class with her, and I was just tagging along. It just happened that I ended up liking her too along the way.”

 

“Do you ever think about who Chungha might actually like?” Sungwoon says, despite the crushing weight of the dead butterflies in his stomach. “I mean, she told me that she’s going out with Seongwoo because he asked and he is cute. Maybe if you were the one asking, she’d have gone out with you too. You are …” _very hot and extremely attractive._ “ … cute too, I guess.”

 

“She never gives me the kind of attention she does to Seongwoo hyung.” Kang Daniel shrugs. “Maybe she might have gone out with me if I asked, but it is not like she does not like Seongwoo hyung as well. Plus, we are best friends since kindergarten, you know. Me and Seongwoo hyung. I can’t do that to him.”

 

“Your idea of chivalry is outdated and useless.” Sungwoon says. “But that’s your problem, and you shouldn’t have involved me at all.”

 

“I know.” Kang Daniel sighs. “I am sorry. Like I said, I just panicked. I am not that good at impromptu lies.”

 

“So, your friend who is dating my friend thinks you are into me.” Sungwoon recaps. “What do you want me to do about it then?”

 

“Erm. Nothing?” Kang Daniel says. “I am just letting you know in case it gets back to you and you get the wrong idea. I already begged him not to mention that to Chungha.”

 

Kind of like how Sungwoon begged Chungha to not mention his tiny crush on Kang Daniel, except, fake.

 

God, Sungwoon truly hopes Chungha is too enamored with Seongwoo to be not talking about Sungwoon and Daniel. It’d be beneficial for everyone involved if Chungha and Seongwoo are using their mouths right now to suck face and not talk.

 

“You alright?” Daniel asks, and Sungwoon shakes himself out of his stupor.

 

“Fine.” He answers. “Not everyday I get a fake confession from the prom king.”

 

“Oh my god.” Daniel says in horror. “You remember that?”

 

“Kinda hard to forget, pal.” Sungwoon winks at him, only half lying. About a year ago, when they held a university-wide Halloween party with a prom-theme because high school wasn’t as bad for everyone as it was for Sungwoon apparently, Kang Daniel was unanimously crowned the prom king by the twenty or so people who hadn’t lost their voting slips by midnight, Sungwoon included. (Actually he did lose his voting slip after his second beer chug competition that he lost badly; he just used Taehyun’s slip to vote). And as the titular prom king, Kang Daniel had to wear the paper Burger King crown for the rest of the night, shirtless. Sungwoon has kind of been in lust since then. It is not his fault that the length of Kang Daniel’s shoulders is the mathematical proof of how much Sungwoon is into bigger guys, ok?

 

“I am never gonna live it down.” Daniel shakes his head and says. “Anyway, I am gonna go grab a soda. You want one more?”

 

“Yeah sure,” Sungwoon says, shaking absent-mindedly at his soda glass void of soda. “Thanks.”

 

Daniel returns with two cokes just when Sungwoon has finished sending about three texts to Chungha, two with middle fingers emojis and one whining about how life is unfair, all of which has gone unread because she is on a date with in a gorgeous guy, whose gorgeous friend is also in love with her because, he repeats, life is unfair.

 

“Thanks man.” Sungwoon says and takes the ice cold can. “What do I owe you?”

 

“Forget it.” Daniel waves a hand and says. “Take it as an apology from me for getting you involved in my nonsense.”

 

“Alright.” Sungwoon shrugs. “But don’t worry about it too much. Nothing’s probably gonna come from it.”

 

* * *

 

Except he was so wrong because two days later, Seongwoo and Chungha attempt to set them up on a double date of hell.


	2. Daniel

Daniel knows something has gone terribly wrong the moment he stepped into the crowded Starbucks and spotted Ha Sungwoon sitting in the corner seat, sipping on the iced drink in front of him with an unrelenting enthusiasm. Daniel is starting to wonder if the guy has some kind of an oral fixation.

 

Seongwoo has called him about half an hour earlier, asking Daniel to meet up with him and Chungha here, as kind of a formal introduction to his now-girlfriend, and Daniel was expecting awkward hellos and small talks, not Ha Sungwoon and Daniel’s own web of lies that he himself has caught in.

 

“Hey,” he says as he stands in front of Sungwoon, who looks up at him and blinks a couple of times like his brain is rebooting to register that it is Daniel standing in front of him. “You don’t happen to be waiting on Seongwoo hyung and Chungha, do you?”

 

“I am going to kick her snake ass,” Sungwoon mutters and gets up, almost knocking over his drink. “She said she wanted me to vet Ong Seongwoo. I should have known that she’d never start caring about my opinion after two years.”

 

“You stay,” Daniel says, pushing Sungwoon down back into his seat. “I’ll go. You already got settled down anyway. I’ll just text Seongwoo hyung and say I can’t make –”

 

“You guys made it!”

 

Daniel turns around to see Seongwoo and Chungha hand in hand, grinning at him in equally wide smiles, and even in his panic and discomfort, Daniel has to admit that they make a frighteningly beautiful couple.

 

“Yeahhh,” Daniel drawls. “Hyung, I thought I was just meeting with you and Chungha.” Daniel says to Seongwoo, complete with hopefully-decipherable eyebrow raises, to ask Seongwoo what on earth he thinks he is doing. Seongwoo doesn’t even answer him. It was Chungha who jumps in to answer instead.

 

“I thought it’d be a good idea for all of us to hang.” She says, sitting down primly with her legs crossed. “You know, kind of a best friend convention.”

 

“So, now I am your best friend?” Sungwoon snorts. “I thought that was Na Young or Chaeyeon.”

 

“Guy best friend.” Chungha tsks, shooting a glare at Sungwoon. “I am meeting up with them this Friday anyway. You can join if you want.”

 

“Please do.” Seongwoo says in desperation and sits down next to Chungha, and since everyone is settled in, Daniel sighs and takes his seat as well, across to Chungha and next to Sungwoon. “I am invited to this girls’ night out and I need some support.”

 

“Nah, dude,” Sungwoon slurps on his drink and says. “I have less agonizing things to do, like visiting a Chinese torture chamber.”

 

Seongwoo winces while Chungha probably kicked Sungwoon under the table from the way things rustle down under the table and Sungwoon yells out a little ouch.

 

“Oppa,” Chungha turns to Seongwoo and says, glare softening and a smile creeping up her face and yeah, she is undoubtedly beautiful. Daniel is kind of fucked. “Can you get me a tall Caramel Macchiato?”

 

“Yeah, of course.” Seongwoo brightens up – it is kind of gross – and hops up from his seat. “Daniel, dude, the usual? Americano?”

 

“Huh? Yeah, sure.” Daniel nods distractedly while Sungwoon scowls after Seongwoo who makes his way through to the counter.

 

“Oppa, really?” Sungwoon mocks.

 

“He’s older than me.” Chungha replies innocently.

 

“I am older than him and you never call me oppa!” Sungwoon grits through his teeth.

 

“Oppa is a title earned.” Chungha leans in and says in a gleefully evil way. Daniel is kind of ashamed to admit that it makes her even more attractive to him. “And you have not earned it.”

 

“See if I lend you my notes for the Ethics class anymore after this.” Sungwoon smirks.

 

“C’mon, man!” Chungha yells. “You know I can’t stay awake in that class.”

 

“Yeah, probably because you have no concept of ethics.”

 

“You want to talk about ethics when you regularly steal half of my ramen?”

 

“Are you two always like this?” Daniel turns to Sungwoon and asks. He knows they are attached at the hips like some kind of Siamese twins, but he never really hang out with them in close proximity to realize that they are this … noisy. “At each other’s throat always?”

 

“Only when he is being annoying.” Chungha says and turns to Daniel with a sweet smile on her face. “He’s actually a nice guy.”

 

Sungwoon makes some kind of chortled noise next to him. Chungha pays him no attention and continues talking. “Especially to people he’s dating.”

 

“Oh, look.” Daniel jumps. “Seongwoo hyung is back.”

 

Seongwoo is actually about five feet away still but Daniel gets out of his seat to help him with the drink tray he is carrying.

 

“You are so dead after this.” He whispers to Seongwoo before handing Chungha her drink. Seongwoo just gives him an innocent smile back.

 

“So,” Seongwoo says as he flops down into his chair gracelessly. “Sungwoon. Hyung.” He adds once he sees Sungwoon glaring at him. “You and Chungha are housemates?”

 

“I am not proud of it, but yes.” Sungwoon grumbles. “With two other people.”

 

“But I mostly just see only the two of you hanging out.” Daniel can’t help but asks. He knows Sungwoon is older than all of them but he is in the same classes as Chungha, which is a fact Daniel knows not because he is a creepy stalker, but because his best friend is.

 

“That’s because only the two of us are in the same major despite him being a year ahead.” Chungha answers. “He enlisted before college so now he is just this old dude hanging out with us kids.”

 

Sungwoon just rolls his eyes but doesn’t retort.

 

“You know,” Seongwoo laughs. “At first, I thought you two were twins. Like fraternal twins.”

 

No, the first thought Seongwoo had about those two was that they were dating and it took a bit of snooping around before they found out that Sungwoon is gay and Chungha is single, but yeah, twins sound better for small talk, Daniel guesses.

 

Sungwoon and Chungha give Seongwoo the exact same chilling glares.

 

“It has been a fun two days,” Chungha says. “But I think this is where we end things. How can you possibly think that I share DNA with … him?”

 

“Yeah, she might actually be part human if she share my DNA.” Sungwoon grunts.

 

Seongwoo laughs, looking genuinely nervous. “If it helps, babe, I think you are the superior twin.”

 

Sungwoon snorts and mumbles under his breath. “Suck up.”

 

“Duh,” Chungha says with satisfaction. “I’d have eaten him in the womb.”

 

Seongwoo gives an adoring laugh, kind of an unprecedented reaction to someone suggesting prenatal fratricide, but then again, it is Chungha so Daniel gets it.

 

And then they are leaning in to kiss, and things get awkward. Daniel just turns to Sungwoon because it is uncomfortable facing the two smooching people in front of him. Sungwoon is just shaking his head and scowling while sucking at his straw into the empty cup.

 

“Do you want one more?” Daniel points to the empty coffee cup, and Sungwoon looks down at it like he doesn’t realize he has been sucking at air for the past few minutes.

 

“Nah,” he shakes his head, and answers. “I’ve already gone over my caffeine limit today.”

 

“I can get you something else.” Daniel offers. “Something non-caffeinated.”

 

“You need to stop buying me drinks, dude.” Sungwoon replies absent-mindedly and suddenly, two very interested heads pull away from each other and turn to Daniel.

 

“You bought him drinks before?” Seongwoo asks.

 

“When was this?” Chungha asks, mostly to Sungwoon. “And why don’t I know about this? Did you go clubbing without me?”

 

“It was a fucking soda. Keep your panties on.” Sungwoon growls. “We had dinner the other day and he got me a soda.”

 

Seongwoo nods proudly while Chungha smirks and Daniel kind of wants to die.

 

* * *

 

Seongwoo and Chungha left for a movie despite the 3:00 Ethics class that all four are them are supposed to be attending. Daniel is tasked with signing roll call for Seongwoo, while Sungwoon for Chungha, and since they are going to the same class across campus, they had to walk together, which is probably pre-thought out by Seongwoo or Chungha as part of their badly well-intentioned matchmaking scheme.

 

But still, this is 300% less awkward than sitting at that coffee table with all four of them, Sungwoon steadfastly ignoring the rest of them while Daniel sits there in guilt as Seongwoo and Chungha makes out and/or makes suggestive comments about how well Daniel and Sungwoon match.

 

“I am sorry,” Daniel says, and feels like he has been doing nothing but apologizing to Sungwoon since they first started talking to each other.

 

Sungwoon sighs into the iced Americano he is sipping on. (He made Daniel get him one after Seongwoo and Chungha left, calling it _stress caffeine_ ). “I wish our friends care more about their relationship than ours.”

 

“Listen, if they get more … intense, just tell them you are not into me. I’ll talk to Seongwoo hyung to leave you alone.”

 

“Uh-huh,” Sungwoon nods. “Do you have any deep personality flaw?”

 

“What?”

 

“Chungha won’t believe if I just say I’m not into you,” Sungwoon replies. “I need like legit reasoning. Are you using any drug? Into furry porn? Secretly listen to Taylor Swift? C’mon. I need something to work with.”

 

“None of that.” Daniel says. “I listen to Taylor Swift openly, FYI.”

 

“You would.” Sungwoon wrinkles his nose. “I knew no one can be that perfect.”

 

“You …” Daniel stutters. “… thought I was perfect?”

 

“No, I said you are not perfect. Keep up, Daniel.” Sungwoon replies back quickly, and what.

 

“Ok… Anyway, just tell her you don’t find me attractive.”

 

“Rightttt….” Sungwoon drawls and slows down his pace to turn and give Daniel a slow once-over. It makes him kind of self-conscious but also weirdly pleased because Sungwoon looks like he enjoys what he sees. “I will just tell her that I, a gay man with 20/20 eyesight, think you are physically unattractive to me.”

 

“You think I am attractive?” Daniel asks, sincerely curious.

 

“Before I knew you are a Swifty.” Sungwoon says and taps his card to enter the Social Science Building where their class is held. “C’mon. You know Prof. Kim is gonna bust our asses if we are even 2 seconds late.”

 

“What the hell is a Swifty?” Daniel just shakes his head and follows.

 

Sungwoon thinks he is attractive.

 

Huh.


	3. Sungwoon

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Chungha yells into his face. Sungwoon just sighs and pushes her off back to where she is sitting cross-legged on the sofa.

 

“I told you. I don’t like Daniel like that.” Sungwoon sighs and lies.

 

“Lies.” Chungha points at him and snarls. “Or do you not remember that time when you came for our dance show and won’t stop talking about how hot Kang Daniel is for days?”

 

“Exactly.” Sungwoon jumps at the chance. “I was objectifying him, ok? I find him attractive sexually. Doesn’t mean I want to date him.”

 

“Yes because you are such a hit-it-and-quit-it guy.” Chungha snorts. “You had a grand total of two nightstands in the previous year.”

 

“Stop tallying who I sleep with. That’s creepy. And I don’t want to go out with Kang Daniel.” Sungwoon says in his most stern voice, the one he uses in the classes he is TA’ing. It works, usually. “And that’s final.”

 

“Ergh.” Chungha raises her fists into air, frustrated. “You are so annoying. Dude, it is Kang Daniel. I’d have gone out with him in a heartbeat.”

 

“You have a boyfriend.” Sungwoon reminds her, a little miffed because Daniel would have gone out with her in a heartbeat too if he is not being some kind of a stupid hopeless gentleman. He kind of wishes they did go out instead of Seongwoo and Chungha because if that is the case, Sungwoon could be let down outright at least, instead of sitting here and pretending he had never dreamed about Kang Daniel in secret shame.  

 

“And my boyfriend is amazing. I am telling you.” Chungha says. “You should try having one too. And Kang Daniel is an open option. He likes you.”

 

He really doesn’t, but Chungha cannot know that.

 

“Taehyun!” Chungha turns her head and yells to Taehyun who is just coming through the front door. “Talk some sense into him.”

 

“Is he going through another stupid diet plan again?”

 

“Worse,” Chungha says before Sungwoon can ask Taehyun what is wrong with his last diet plan, except for the fact that, you know, it didn’t work out. “I am setting him up on a date with Kang Daniel. The Kang Daniel. And he is refusing to go.”

 

“Wait.” Taehyun says in confusion. “I thought you and Daniel are already going out?”

 

“What?” Sungwoon and Chungha says in unified shock.

 

“What the hell, dude!” Sungwoon repeats. “Who told you that?”

 

“Uh. I don’t remember.” Taehyun shrugs. “Just, you know, heard it through the grapevine. Maybe Jisung hyung.”

 

“Oh my god,” Sungwoon buries his hand in his face. “How is it already on the grapevine? Chungha, what did you do?” He asks Chungha because she has been uncharacteristically silent for the past 30 seconds.

 

“I might have told Na Young and, you know, a few of the girls, that Daniel is into you, and so are you. I mean, I just thought you two would look cute together. And you haven’t seen anyone since Minhyun. I was excited!”

 

“Oh, yeah, now I remember,” Taehyun snaps his finger, and says. “Jisung hyung told me that Sejeong told him that she saw Kang Daniel walking you to your class the other day.”

 

“He was walking with me to the class we both are in.” Sungwoon gestures wildly and says. “No one was walking any one anywhere.”

 

“What’s the problem dude?” Taehyun shrugs. “I thought you like the guy. And I heard he is pretty in love with you too.”

 

“Oh my god,” Sungwoon groans and flops back down onto the sofa, shoving his face into the dusty throw pillow. Maybe the dust would choke him to death and he doesn’t have to deal with this anymore.

 

“That’s what I have been saying. Thank you, Taehyun Oppa.” Chungha says. Taehyun gives a disgusted “You never call me Oppa” noise in the background while Sungwoon makes a mental note to Google efficient ways to murder a guy twice the size of him. “Sungwoon is now saying that he doesn’t like Daniel like that and refusing to go out with him.”

 

“Huh.” Taehyun whistles. “Why? The hots wear off?”

 

“Just because.” Sungwoon whines and gets up. “Listen, I hanged out with him a couple of times, ok? And I feel like we don’t exactly match. I don’t want to go through more awkward dates to confirm that.”

 

Chungha glares at him because letting out a surrendered sigh. “Fine. I’ll call Seongwoo Oppa to not talk to Daniel about the date. Thank god I told him to wait for me until I’ve talked to you.”

 

“Thank you. That’s like the first common-sense thing you’ve done today.” Sungwoon says and Chungha grabs the dusty throw pillow in his lap only to slap him in the face with it, before stomping over into her bedroom.

 

“And tell all your girlfriends that me and Daniel are not dating!” Sungwoon yells after her. “Or else, I am going to accidentally send Seongwoo all the sleeping pictures of you I have on my phone.”

 

“Fine, fucker!” Chungha yells back from inside her room.

 

Taehyun raises an eyebrow at him. “She’s way too invested in this.”

 

“Tell me about it.” Sungwoon grumbles.

 

“But what’s suddenly wrong with you? The dude is hot.” Taehyun says and raises a defensive palm when Sungwoon gives him a questioning look. “What? I am straight, not blind.”

 

“Whatever, dude.” Sungwoon shakes his head. “It’s complicated. Drop it, ok?”

 

“Fine.” Taehyun shrugs, probably already forgotten about Sungwoon and his love life. “Wanna play Overwatch?”

 

And that’s why Taehyun is his best friend, and not Chungha.

 

And she is not even going to stay Sungwoon’s regular friend if she doesn’t do damage control immediately and tells everyone in school that Sungwoon is not dating Kang Daniel.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, can I get a scone with extra jam?” Sungwoon tells the guy manning the counter. “No need to heat it up. I am in a rush.”

 

“Are you …” the guy, kid actually, now that Sungwoon has gotten a good look at his face. “ … Ha Sungwoon?”

 

“Erm.” Sungwoon says unsurely. “Yeah. Why?”

 

The kid’s face hardens suddenly and he purses his lips. “We are out of scones.”

 

“What? There are like 10 scones right there!” Sungwoon points at the display counter where his precious scones are lying down calling at him.

 

“I don’t want to serve you.” The kid says stubbornly.

 

“What the hell!” Sungwoon says in confusion. He doesn’t even know this guy, and to his knowledge, he hasn’t been banned from the campus bakery. (Taehyun, however, was banned from the campus dental clinic due to an incident involving anesthesia and extreme fears of needles – long story) “What is this about?”

 

“My name is Park Jihoon.” The kid says.

 

“I didn’t ask, but ok?” Sungwoon nods along dumbly.

 

“I am in the Pre University program right now.”

 

“Again, didn’t ask, but good for you. Why won’t you give me my scone?”

 

“My mentor is,” the kid continues, paying no heed to Sungwoon. “Daniel hyung, and I am not going to serve any jerk that broke his heart.”

 

Ok. There are way too many things wrong here because one, if there is anyone whose heart is being broken here, it is Sungwoon, and two, Sungwoon is a paying customer and he is sure there is some kind of ground for discriminatory service going on here. Three, Daniel is the jerk. The jerk who not only played around with Sungwoon’s heart but also with his scones, and, that is truly the ugliest crime.

 

“I didn’t break his heart. Where do you even hear that?”

 

“Everyone knows that you refused to go out with him even though he is like totally head over heel for you. It wouldn’t kill you to go out on a date with him. He’s a nice guy!”

 

“Everyone,” Sungwoon hisses. “… needs to mind their own business, and also do they teach you about consent and free will in your pre university program? I can refuse to go on a date with him if I want to no matter how nice of a guy he is. It’s my right.”

 

“Well, I can refuse to sell you anything from here if want to as well. It is my right. Hi, can I take your order?” Park Jihoon, aka the little spawn of devil, swerves Sungwoon and calls to the customer standing behind him, voice suddenly sweet as a peach.

 

“Urgh.” Sungwoon groans. He wants to channel his grandma and ask to speak with a manager or something but he is already running late for his Econ class and he is the TA for that class so that is even worse. “You just… urgh. You just wait. I will come back.” He says to Park Jihoon, who is smiling sweetly at a confused girl giving out her brownie order, and storms out of the small bakery into the sunny day, sans his breakfast scone.

 

Fuck Kang Daniel. Seriously.


	4. Daniel

Daniel is going to fail his Business Ethics class if he doesn’t do something dramatic like running in front of a bus and getting himself an exemption because the midterm is two weeks away and he has about zero ideas of what is going on in that class. Mostly because Prof. Kim is an android programmed to induce the maximum boredom in human beings, and Daniel doesn’t even have the textbook because he wasn’t going to waste 200,000 won on a book he can find online, except, you know, he wasn’t able to find it online and he still doesn’t want to spend that much money on a class that he is going to walk away with a C+ at best in four months.

 

He really shouldn’t do this but his best option right now is probably to ask Sungwoon to lend Daniel his notes because they sat together in class the other day when Seongwoo and Chungha skipped class, and if Prof. Kim is a lifeless machine that only knows how to give lectures in the most tedious way possible, Sungwoon is the machine programmed to write down all of those tedious words into neat little notes. Seriously, there were about four different color pens and two highlighters involved – it was a very complicated and delicate process. Daniel was thoroughly impressed.

 

But Daniel also doesn’t want to bother Sungwoon too much because the poor guy is already caught up in Daniel’s lies which have spinned out of control in the rumor mill because no one in this goddamn campus have a life worth enough to focus. Just yesterday, he had to correct two separate people that he and Sungwoon are not dating, and Daniel doesn’t know what is worse – the amount of interest they have in his love life or the pitiful look in their eyes when he told them Sungwoon is just not interested in him like that.

 

Speaking of the devil, he spots Sungwoon walking out of the library and towards Daniel, hands full of paper, and Daniel knows he probably shouldn’t hang around Sungwoon but he does look like he needs help.

 

“Hey!” So, Daniel jogs towards him, raising a greeting hand. “Sungwoon hyung! Need a hand?”

 

“Oh, hey,” Sungwoon nods at him. “Sure. Here” He says, and hands Daniel half of the paper stack he is holding, freeing his right hand, which he immediately uses … to punch Daniel in the forearm.

 

“Ow. What?” Daniel turns his head to look at Sungwoon. “What’s that for?”

 

“How many people did you cry and tell that I am a mean heartless jerk who broke your heart?”

 

“I didn’t!” Daniel says and rubs at the sore spot where Sungwoon hits him. “I was just correcting some people because they think we are dating. I don’t think you’d appreciate that kind of rumor going around.”

 

“Do you know what kind of rumors I don’t appreciate even more?” Sungwoon grunts and turns around the corner sharply, and Daniel follows him. He doesn’t even know where they are going. “The kind where people think I am an asshole. What did you do to these people, man? I’ve had strangers coming up to me and asking me why I won’t go out with you. Not to mention half of them were sizing me up – it’s like they can’t figure out why you’d be into someone like me.”

 

“Why won’t I be into you?” Daniel mutters carelessly and Sungwoon raises a question eyebrow at him. “I mean…” Daniel rushes to explain. “I don’t really have a type, you know? I like people who are nice.”

 

“Nice?” Sungwoon snorts. “Thanks. Greatest compliment you can give me. Actually, why am I even talking about this? You don’t even like me like that, which is the original reason why you are the asshole who got me hated on by the entire school.”

 

“Don’t over react.” Daniel says, tapping his card into the Business School building, which apparently is where they are going. “I don’t even know the whole school.”

 

“I was refused breakfast, you bastard!”

 

“Huh?” Daniel asks in confusion.

 

“Apparently, your prodigy, the kid who works at the campus bakery, Park-whatever, thought I was too much of a jerk to you for him to sell me breakfast.”

 

Jesus Christ. Jihoon always is way too enthusiastic and dramatic over Daniel despite his probably well-meaning intentions.

 

“I am so sorry.” Daniel says. “I’ll talk to him and set things straight.”

 

“You talking to him resulted in him thinking I broke your heart and refusing to sell me food.” Sungwoon snorts. “Where are you going?”

 

“What?” Daniel stops in his track as Sungwoon turns to him and says sharply. “I’m just following you.”

 

“I am going in to hand over the graded papers to the Econs prof. You are coming into the office as well?”

 

“I was just following you.” Daniel mumbles and repeats. “Plus, we were talking so I didn’t even notice where we are going. Here,” Daniel hands him back the paper stack he was holding. Sungwoon takes it with a muffled thanks and knocks on the closed wooden door before going in.

 

Daniel leans across the wall and waits for a couple of minutes, staring at the weird art they have had hanging on the opposite wall before the door is pulled open and Sungwoon comes out.

 

“You are still here?” Sungwoon raises an eyebrow.

 

“Was I supposed to go?” Daniel asks.

 

“I don’t know?” Sungwoon shrugs. “Where were you heading to earlier?”

 

“Library.” Daniel answers. “To sleep.” He clarifies.

 

“Midterms are in two weeks.” Sungwoon says like Daniel needs any reminder.

 

“That means I have four more days to slack and ten days to stay consecutively awake.” Daniel grins at him, and Sungwoon just rolls his eyes. “Excuse me if all of us cannot have 4.0 GPA, ok?”

 

“I don’t have a 4.0 GPA.” Sungwoon mutters.

 

“3.8. Whatever.” Daniel shrugs, and pushes opened the glass door ahead.

 

“3.9.” Sungwoon says distractedly and gives him a guilty smile while Daniel glares at him.

 

“Hey, you wanna go for dinner?” Daniel asks. He can go for an early dinner since they are now closer to the school canteen anyway.

 

Sungwoon purses his lips and stares at Daniel, and Daniel considers rescinding his offer before Sungwoon speaks up. “Do you mind going out of campus? Today’s Tuesday so Wang Burger has a 2-for-1 deal.”

 

“Cool.” Daniel nods. “Lead the way.”

 

* * *

 

Sungwoon leads them straight to the small hole-in-the-world burger joint two blocks away from the campus. Daniel had been here before, not very frequently because it is off the main road and a little out of the way but he does remember that they have decent food.

 

Sungwoon, however, is the obvious regular because he goes straight in and high fives a passing-by waiter before nodding at an empty table that they can take.

 

“Your usual?” The waiter who high fived Sungwoon calls from near the payment counter, not even bothering to come around to take down their order.

 

“Yeah,” Sungwoon yells back and turns to Daniel. “You are cool with their regular burger, right? The 2-for-1 deal is only on those.”

 

“I eat anything as long as it is not seafood.” Daniel shrugs. “Allergic.”

 

“You are telling me that you are from Busan but allergic to seafood?” Sungwoon raises an eyebrow. “That’s kind of tragic, dude.”

 

Daniel doesn’t remember telling Sungwoon that he is from Busan. It could be his satoori slipping out but it is not like he has a very Busan-specific satoori. “Did I tell you that I’m from Busan?”

 

Sungwoon looks at him quietly for a moment before looking away. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ve heard it from somewhere else. Ya, Kim Won Sik, I don’t want too much ice in my cola!”

 

Daniel shrugs, letting the subject drops. It is not like it is some birth secret that he is from Busan.

 

The waiter, Kim Won Sik, apparently, comes around with two cola glasses and two basket of steaming fries and Daniel’s stomach starts to rumble.

 

“You’ll take what I give you.” He says and puts down the soda glasses in front of them, but Daniel does notice that Sungwoon’s glass has relatively less ice than Daniel’s own.

 

“Thanks,” Sungwoon grins up at him. “No pickle in my burger, you know, right?”

 

“Duh.” Won Sik mutters and leaves.

 

“You are a regular here?” Daniel asks him as Sungwoon passes him the ketchup bottle.

 

“Sort of. I’ve known Won Sik even before he started working here. We were in the same brigade back in the Army.”

 

“Ah,” Daniel mutters knowingly. He is kind of envious that Sungwoon already has the enlistment out of the way but he is also curious.

 

“Can I ask you something?” Daniel says. “A little personal.”

 

“It is kind of weird someone actually asks me permission before asking something personal.” Sungwoon murmurs. “But that’s mostly because all my friends are dicks. Go ahead.”

 

“Were you out in the army?” Daniel asks what he has been curious about ever since he has heard that Sungwoon has already enlisted. It had already been a huge step for Daniel to be out to people in his circle of friends; he can’t imagine the courage and the mental effort it will probably take him to be out to the whole world like Sungwoon is.  

 

“Out of what?” Sungwoon asks. “The closet? Do you think I have a death wish?”

 

“I just thought…” Daniel starts. “I mean I know a few other gay or bi people, but you know, it’s kind of like an open secret for them. No one is really out in the open like you are.”

 

“Is it about my instagram posts at the pride last month?” Sungwoon asks.

 

“Not … really?” Daniel answers. He doesn’t even follow Sungwoon on instagram, but he makes a mental note to check later since he is already following Chungha. “It’s just … I just like how frank you are about your sexuality.”

 

Sungwoon gets silent and dips his fries into the ketch cup in front of him.

 

“I wasn’t out in the army, no.” He answers after a few silent seconds. “Like I said, I don’t have a death wish. I was actually pretty much closeted all the way through high school. Didn’t date anyone, didn’t tell anyone, you know? But after enlisting, it just gets too suffocating.”

 

“How?” Daniel asks.

 

“Being in the army is …” Sungwoon says and clucks his tongue, looking for words. “… I don’t know, weird? Unique? You are cut off from the world mostly and your life entirely revolves around the few guys around you for 18, 20 months and it was much more difficult to hide a large part of you. It was too exhausting, keeping up the pretense. But still, I had to do it because what else am I about to do? Tell the homophobic guy sleeping on the top bunker that I was more interested in the guys in the porn magazines he snuggled in? After all that shit, I think I sort of overcompensated when I got discharged and got into college, you know. Being out and proud. I won’t lie and say it was easy. Won Sik and this one other guy are the only ones who still talk to me from my brigade. But whatever. College is supposed to be this free and growing environment, so I just thought _fuck it_. It helps that most of the friends I really like are cool about it too.”

 

“I thought you said your friends are mostly dicks.” Daniel smiles.

 

“Cool dicks.” Sungwoon points at him and corrects. “Are you worried? About enlisting?”

 

Daniel shrugs. “Kind of.”

 

“I wish I could say be yourself, but let’s be real, that’s probably not gonna work out.” Sungwoon says. “It’s shitty but the world outside is still very much fucked up.”

 

“I guess.” Daniel smiles sadly. “It’s already so tiring for me to come out to anyone other than Seongwoo hyung.”

 

Sungwoon’s hand stills on the straw that he is holding onto. “Are you saying you are not out on campus?”

 

“Erm. Yeah.” Daniel laughs unsurely. “Didn’t you ask the first day we met that if I even like guys? If I were out, you’d have already known.”

 

“I was asking because I don’t know you as a person, not because I didn’t know that you were out.” Sungwoon mutters. “Jesus, dude, there are already four or five people thinking we are dating.”

 

“I am already out to all those people, so I am not worried.” Daniel shrugs.

 

“Still.” Sungwoon frowns. “Word of mouth spreads fast. This is all Kim Chungha’s fault.”

 

“It is not like I told her I liked you.” Daniel reminds him. “If anything, it’s on Seongwoo hyung.”

 

Sungwoon shakes his head, looking unsatisfied. “I’ll talk to her anyway. I mean, I already told her to shut her trap but I didn’t know she was outing you.”

 

“It is fine hyung.” Daniel reassures him. “Really. It might even be a good coming out strategy since you know, you are kind of liked by everyone on campus.”

 

“Not after your ridiculous stories.” Sungwoon snorts. “But still, no matter the results, coming out should be on your own terms. I am really sorry and I know Chungha would be too. She probably didn’t think things through but I can guarantee you she had no bad intention.”

 

“I am fine.” Daniel says again and smiles into his soda glass.

 

It feels nice, to have someone looking out for him. Seongwoo is always there, of course, but it is not like he was able to relate a hundred percent to what Daniel had to go through. Daniel is thankful for him, for being next to Daniel through all those years of self realization and self despise and self acceptance, and for helping Daniel put himself back together after all the shits that went down with Minjun back in high school, and for always trying to look out for Daniel in his own ways. But his ways sometimes do not work for Daniel because Seongwoo doesn’t really know what it likes to be in Daniel’s shoes, but Sungwoon does (kind of), and it feels that little bit more reassuring.

 

Sungwoon does not look completely pleased but he doesn’t say anything more, probably also because he spotted Won Sik coming with two large burgers in hand towards their table. Daniel thankfully accepts his own and forgoes the cutlery Won Sik had brought along to grab the burger with his bare hands.

 

“So,” Won Sik says, casually leaning against the column next to their table. “You really are dating someone. You never even told me, you asshole.”

 

“I am not…” Sungwoon almost chokes on his first bite. “ … dating him. Who told you that? Was that Chungha? This is just gonna add to the list of my motives when I finally kill her.”

 

“Taehyun actually.” Won Sik says. “This isn’t a date?”

 

“Why would I come to your shitty place for a date?” Sungwoon puts down his burger and says, looking weirdly insulted. Daniel is not sure what kind of actions from him would help so he just keeps his mouth full and shut. “I am only here because of the happy hours. This …” he gestures wildly, hand waving between him and Daniel in rapid motions, “… is an economic and mutually beneficial arrangement.”

 

“Yeah, I think it is best that you are not dating him.” Won Sik turns to Daniel and says. Daniel hurriedly shoves the falling piece of onion into his mouth and blinks up at Won Sik. “No one in their right mind should be thinking of dating him.”

 

“Get lost!” Sungwoon squeaks. “See if I tip you after this terrible service.”

 

“The last tip you gave me was a nearly expiring candy.” Won Sik rolls his eyes.

 

“That’s because this is not America where capitalism had infringed on the basic wage rights of the wait staff.” Sungwoon says seriously and somehow Daniel doesn’t think this is the first time Sungwoon is having this argument. “You are already making more than double my TA salary. I was only tipping you out of the goodness of my heart.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Won Sik waves an arm and tightens his apron, feet already aiming towards the customers from the corner table calling at him. “Enjoy your not-date.”

 

“Enjoy your …” Sungwoon shouts back. “… face!”

 

“That wasn’t a very good comeback.” Daniel says as Sungwoon glares at him. “He has a good face.”

 

“He has a shit face.” Sungwoon replies very maturely and leans back uncomfortably to grab at the tissue box on the table behind him. “Didn’t even give us tissues.” He mutters and pushes the tissue box into Daniel’s plate. “You have ketchup on your chin.”

 

“Thanks,” Daniel says and grabs a couple of tissues to wipe at his chin. “I am glad we are ..” Daniel says before stopping himself. “ .. are we friends? I hope we are because I am glad we are friends.”

 

Sungwoon doesn’t answer back for a couple of beats before finally grabbing at his burger and taking a bite before replying.

 

“Yeah, me too.”


	5. Sungwoon

Mornings are terrible, terrible things. And the sunlight. And the invention of alarm clocks, and college and basically the entire human civilisation.

 

Sungwoon stares into the void, and by void, he means the beeping kettle in front of him. He knows he should probably turn the switch off but there seems to be a delay in the response to his brain’s instructions from his limbs. A hand appears in front of him and turns the switch off, and Sungwoon blinks rapidly, trying to recall who he is and where he is with each flutter of the eyes.

 

He is too fucking old to be pulling all-nighters.

 

“Thanks, Seongwoo.” Sungwoon murmurs to the owner of the hand before opening the overhead cupboard to grab his coffee cup.

 

_Wait._

_Seongwoo?_

Sungwoon sharply turns at the blob of a face he catches earlier, and yes, that is definitely Ong Seongwoo, smiling at him in a sweat shirt and palming an empty cup like this is his goddamn kitchen.

 

“Why are you here?” Sungwoon mumbles and carelessly tosses a tea bag into his cup before pouring hot water into it.

 

“Um,” Seongwoo smacks his lips. “I stayed over with Chungha. That’s … ok, right?”

 

“I guess.” Sungwoon mutters. It is not like his permission or rejection will make a difference anyway. “Jesus,” Sungwoon groans as he remembers something from last night. “Please tell me all the banging noises last night were just Chungha redecorating.”

 

“Errr,” Seongwoo replies intelligently. “Sure. If that’s what you want to think.”

 

“Please,” Sungwoon groans. “Protect my last strand of sanity.”

 

“I thought you lost it long time back.” Chungha pipes in, walking into the kitchen, wrapped in a large throw blanket. Sungwoon truly hopes it is just her being a bozo and not because she is naked underneath. “Oppa, one coffee for me.”

 

“Roger,” Seongwoo salutes and grabs another cup, and urgh, they are already this domesticated? Disgusting.

  
“I actually need to talk to you,” Sungwoon dips his tea bag into the cup roughly a few times and says. “Free for lunch?”

 

“I have to go for that dance audition thing, remember?” Chungha says. “It’s halfway across town. I’d probably be back very late. Talk now.”

 

Sungwoon looks over uncomfortably at Seongwoo.

 

“I will give you guys some space,” Seongwoo murmurs, but Sungwoon turns to him with a sigh.

 

“It’s ok. You can stay. You should probably hear about this too.”

 

Chungha raises an eyebrow. “Is it about him staying over because …”

 

“It is fine,” Sungwoon cuts her off. “Him staying over. I’d appreciate if you guys were a little quieter, but …”

 

Seongwoo blushes a little while Chungha smirks.

 

“Anyway,” Sungwoon says. “Moving on, I didn’t want to talk about you two. I wanted to talk about Daniel.”

 

“What about Daniel?” Seongwoo furrows his brows.

 

“You two really need to stop with all the talking about me and him.”

 

“Look, dude,” Seongwoo starts. “I get that you don’t like him like that. I mean, I don’t understand _why_ , but I get it, but it is not like …”

 

“He is not out.” Sungwoon cuts him off. “Actually, you should know that better than us. He is not out and yet there are already rumors across campus that he is dating me.”

 

Chungha looks a little surprised, and to her credit, a little alarmed. Seongwoo just shuts his mouth guiltily.

 

“It’s not like I told everyone about it.” Seongwoo mumbles. “I only told Chungha and Jisung hyung.”

 

“I thought he was out,” Chungha bites her lips and says. “I mean Sejeong brought it up first that she saw you two together, and she is closer to Daniel than I was, so I assumed.”

 

“He said he’s out to a couple of close friends,” Sungwoon says. “But you know words spread. Especially when it comes to things like this, and I know you probably didn’t think things through because you are used to me being open about my sexuality but it is still a sensitive thing for a lot of us. I mean, Won Sik knows and he is as much of a stranger to Daniel as you can get.”

 

“Who’s Won Sik?” Seongwoo asks, alarmed.

 

“One of my friends, but he’s cool with it. And so is Daniel.” Sungwoon says. Well, hopefully Daniel is cool with it. He didn’t seem too bothered last night. “The point is, be a little more careful in the future. Maybe you got lucky and this didn’t reach to the wrong people, but you never know.”

 

“Alright,” Chungha nods. “I’ll talk to the girls, and _Taehyun_ ,” she mutters under her breath. “It is just nothing exciting ever happens to your love life so we were all excited.”

 

“How about you all focus on your life then?” Sungwoon rolls his eyes. “And I want you to apologize to Daniel.”

 

“What for?” Chungha splutters. “It’s not like anything bad happened or I was trying to out him on purpose.”

 

“It could have.” Sungwoon argues back. “Plus this is one of those things where impact matters more than intent.”

 

“Fine.” Chungha pouts. “I’ll text him a sorry. Is that all?”

 

“Yes,” Sungwoon nods. “Behave yourself.”

 

“Whatever,” Chungha shakes her head and wraps the blanket around her tighter.

 

“Are you sure you really are not into Daniel?” Seongwoo asks, after being silent all these times.

 

“Positive,” Sungwoon lies. It has taken almost all of his mental capacity to not slip and think that he was on a date with Daniel last night. Daniel even insisted on walking him back because he is either a 19th century gentleman or just plain fucking with Sungwoon. “Why are you asking?”

 

Seongwoo shrugs. “I just think you’d be good for him, that’s all.”

 

And that’s the problem, isn’t it? Sungwoon thinks he can be good to Daniel too and all his friends think they’d be good for each other, and yet, it is not happening because Daniel is a dick who is in love with Sungwoon’s best friends who is in love with Daniel’s own best friend.

 

Fucking love trapezoid. That’s what it is.

 

“I could be but you know,” Sungwoon shrugs. “Life.”

 

Seongwoo doesn’t reply anything. Chungha just rolls her eyes.

 

“Anyway,” Sungwoon finishes his tea and gets up. “I’ve got to run to my class. Good luck for your audition, kid.”

 

“Don’t call me kid.” Chungha mumbles.

 

“Hey,” Seongwoo says urgently. “Actually, can I ask you a favor?”

 

“A favor?” Sungwoon repeats.

 

“Yeah, can you lend us your notes for Ethics class? We are about to spectacularly flunk the class otherwise. Please.” Seongwoo makes a very convincing crying face. “Save us.”

 

* * *

  

When Sungwoon gets back home that night and gets out of the shower, there is an Instagram notification waiting on his phone that says @ _kangdaniel96_ has requested to follow him.

 

Well, that’s a surprise.

 

Sungwoon accepts the request and follows Daniel back, because at least now, he doesn’t have to feel the shame when he is stalking through Daniel’s profile, consisted mostly of selfies taken at weird angles and cats and a lot of plaid shirts. It’s a good thing Daniel has the face and the body going for him.

 

_Hey._ A DM comes in not two seconds later after Sungwoon followed back Daniel, like Daniel is almost _waiting_ , and Sungwoon really needs to stop getting his hopes up.

 

_Thx 4 the notes!!! Really helpful!_

 

Sungwoon smiles, a little proudly, at himself. His notes are legendary across campus, ok? At least two or three juniors will owe their degree to him in a couple of years – that’s how essential his notes are to some people.

 

_Any time._ He types back quickly.

 

_Also, Chungha called me today. She said you talked to her?_

 

_Yeah. It’s fine, right? Did she yell at u or sth?_

_No. haha. She was actually really sweet. Thank you._

Sungwoon raises an eyebrow. Daniel must really like Chungha to think she is … sweet.

 

_Thank me for what?_

 

_Just nice to know you were looking out for me. :)_ Daniel types back and Sungwoon kind of does not know how to reply to that, so he just sends a peace emoji back.

 

_Oh hey, btw,_ Another message from Daniel comes in. _I talked to Jihoon. You can enjoy ur breakfast hassle free from tmr. I promise._

Oh, thank fucking god.

 

* * *

 

Sungwoon steps into the campus café, as wary and concentrated as a clumsy meerkat stepping into the den of wolves.

 

Fuck, it is that Park-kid at the counter and honestly, someone probably 5-6 years younger than him shouldn’t be this intimidating. Especially the ones that look like cherubs. But let’s be real here, Park Jihoon may look like a cherub, but he is probably one of those baby weeping angels from Doctor Who or something equally terrifying.

 

_A man might feel fear, but he must never give into it._

 

Sungwoon marches to the counter and says sternly. “One small black coffee and a scone. Extra Jam.”

 

Park Jihoon stares at him sullenly for a minute before pressing the register keys so hard that Sungwoon is half worried his fingers will bleed. “One small black coffee,” he yells to the guy washing the coffee pots. “Do you want your scone re-heated or not?”

 

How does he make a simple question sound so threatening, Sungwoon will never know.

 

“Re-heated,” Sungwoon replies. “… please?”

 

Jihoon doesn’t say anything and busies himself with the oven, but two minutes later, Sungwoon is with his precious coffee and precious treat so he can’t complain. “How much do I owe you?”

 

“None,” Jihoon mutters.

 

“Sorry?” Sungwoon asks. He is pretty sure he heard Jihoon says …

 

“None.” Jihoon repeats. “Zero.”

 

“Did you …” Sungwoon asks and holds out the paper bag. “… poison my food or something?”

 

“I won’t do that.” Jihoon huffs. “There are CCTV cameras in here.”

 

Good to know.

 

“Daniel hyung already paid for your breakfast for the week.” He continues, and that is one curveball Sungwoon didn’t see coming.

 

“He what?”

 

“He’s a hopeless romantic, heavier on the hopeless side.” Jihoon mutters.

 

“Erm, ok…” Sungwoon says dumbly, staring at his free breakfast. “Tell him thanks?”

 

“Do I look like the fucking post office?”

 

“Geez,” Sungwoon mutters. “Take up yoga or something. You have a lot of repressed anger.”

 

Jihoon just rolls his eyes sullenly and Sungwoon decides to leave before it gets worse.

 

When he gets to his morning class and gets his hands free for texting, Sungwoon takes out his phones and DM’s Daniel with a thanks and a why.

 

_To apologize for Jihoon. And to thank you for things._

_Jihoon scares me._ Sungwoon types back honestly.

 

_He’s a good kid. Just a little passive aggressive at times._

Yes, 1% passive and 99% aggressive at 100% of times.

 

_You don’t need to buy me breakfast for the whole week tho._ Sungwoon texts. _If you are thankful, just a scone or two is enough._

_It’s ok. :)_ Daniel replies. _Get as many thankscones as you want this week._

_wft is a thankscone_

_a scone of thanks, duh_

 

Sungwoon huffs, but he still takes a photo of his half bitten and sad looking scone, goes through two photo editing apps and about 40 different filters to make it look a little more artsy and posts it onto instagram with a #thankscone.

 

Daniel is the only one who liked the photo apart from Taehyun’s ‘ _lol alr drunk in the morning???’_ comment, but that is fine with Sungwoon anyway.


	6. Daniel

Daniel might actually pass this Business Ethics midterm. If he can somehow finish reading up Intellectual Property Rights section and not fall asleep during the Corporate Social Responsibility section, that is a solid C+ even. Which is about three letters higher than the grade he was expecting four days ago.

 

“Dude,” Seongwoo mutters from next to him, chin on the table and eyes gazing up at the open laptop screen in front of him. “Help.”

 

“With what?” Daniel asks, finishing highlighting the last section of the decision making chart that he just copied from Sungwoon’s notes. Turned out the best way for him to ingest Sungwoon’s very detailed notes is to just write them down and copy them as it is – maybe both Daniel and Sungwoon are visual learners except Daniel hardly owns a quarter of the mental will Sungwoon possesses to be taking these kind of notes in class.

 

“Are you having problems with any particular section or … ?” Daniel asks again since Seongwoo doesn’t reply to him the first time.

 

“Huh?” Seongwoo turns to look at him with bleary eyes. “Oh, the exam. Whatever. Who cares? I am looking at birthday gifts for Chungha but I don’t know what to get. I saw a good make up set but they asked me to choose shades and base tones and I kinda lost it.”

 

“We have been here for two whole hours!” Daniel hisses and kicks a little at the leg of the chair that Seongwoo is sitting on. “Have you been online shopping the whole time? Plus, I thought Chungha’s birthday is in like a month.”

 

“G Market has a today only sale.” Seongwoo gives him a tight smile.

 

“Cheapstake.” Daniel snorts.

 

“I am broke, ok?” Seongwoo says sternly. “I had to cut back on the shifts because of these fucking midterms and man, who knows dating is so expensive?”

 

“Why do you keep booking expensive restaurants then?” Daniel mutters.

 

“Because I want to make a good impression.” Seongwoo says back. “Just because you took your boy to a shady burger place that cost 15,000 wons for two doesn’t mean all of us want to have that kind of cheap date.”

 

“Ok, he was the one who took me,” Daniel says. “And it wasn’t a date.”

 

“Sure, sugar.” Seongwoo says. “Hey, this looks decent. A pendant … ah, 450,000 won. Fuck off.”

 

“You are hopeless,” Daniel just shakes his head and says.

 

“Hey, do you have Sungwoon’s number?” Seongwoo asks over him.

 

“Yeah, why?”

 

“You do?” Seongwoo blinks in surprise at him.

 

“Why did you ask if you are not expecting me to have it?” Daniel mutters.

 

“Last thread of hope.” Seongwoo shrugs. “Anyway, good for you and way to go, my man. Now, please give me his number so I can ask him what I should buy for Chungha.”

 

“I’ll call him for you.” Daniel says and takes out his phone. He exchanged numbers with Sungwoon a couple of days back because he feels like it is a bit impersonal to keep using Insta DM’s to talk but then, they never get around to talking on kakao or messages anyway because their conversation thread is already in the DM’s and it is just easier.

 

Daniel presses the number he had input under Sungwoon’s name and waits as the ringtone rings.

 

At the same time, a shrilling noise comes out from the far corner of the library, in between the shelves of books. Seongwoo looks up in shock, muttering what kind of murderous rage noise that is. Daniel ends the call after a few rings and the noise stops. He calls again just to make sure and yes, that is probably Sungwoon’s phone ringing.

 

“Hang on,” he says to Seongwoo and walks towards the place where half of the library occupants are staring and murmuring, and as expected, he found Sungwoon, nestled among spreads of paper, on a beanbag with his eye masks still on his forehead. His face is blank and the mask is pushing up his hair into a thousands different direction and there is a streak of yellow highlighter on his chin, and Daniel thinks this is probably the most accurate representation of any college student.

 

“You good?” Daniel asks, leaning against one of the bookshelves and Sungwoon jumps a little before looking up at Daniel.

 

“Was that you?” Sungwoon asks, voice scratchy and hoarse. “The noise phone. I mean the call. Phone. Rings.”

 

“Yeah, I get that.” Daniel laughs and Sungwoon groans before rubbing at his eyes and taking a big sip from the bottle on the table.

 

“Good nap?”

 

“The best. I got shut eyes for like two minutes in the past 24 hours before you scare me to death. What do you want?”

 

“You are the one who put death metal war marching noises as your ringtone.” Daniel retorts.

 

“So that I can hear it anywhere.” Sungwoon sulks.

 

“Yeah, how’s that working out for you?” Daniel asks and Sungwoon glares at him.

 

“Do you want something or are you just here to mock me with your biceps?”

 

Daniel looks down at his biceps. He was wearing an outer flannel shirt earlier but he is sitting next to the window so he took it off and he is now just in his sleeveless muscle tee. “My biceps mock you?”

 

“Your biceps mock a lot of people.” Sungwoon turns his glare to Daniel’s totally innocent bystander biceps, and yep, if Sungwoon is already this noisy and snarky, he is fully awake now.

 

“Seongwoo hyung wanted me to call you.” Daniel says instead of defending his biceps more. “He wanted to get your help picking a birthday present for Chungha.”

 

“Tell him to fuck off.” Sungwoon mumbles.

 

“That is not very nice.” Seongwoo creeps up from behind Daniel and says.

 

“Jesus,” Sungwoon mutters. “How did you even find me here …”

 

“I follow the noise from the gates of hell.” Seongwoo replies. “C’mon. I just want to get her something good and you know, at the same time, not put me and my next three generations in debt. It’s the first birthday we have after we dated so I want it to be memorable. Help me out.”

 

Sungwoon gives them both the stink eye before grabbing the mask off of his head and standing up. “I am gonna go wash my face first. I’ll help if I stop wanting to choke you both in the next two minutes.”

 

“We are sitting next to the windows,” Daniel points to the general direction of their seats and grabs Seongwoo by the shoulder before he can protest. Sungwoon maybe a good amount of inches shorter than them but that just means his anger is repressed more and Daniel doesn’t want to die in the middle of the library at the hand of a man with a Totoro eye mask.

 

“He’ll help.” Daniel says to Seongwoo as they walk back. “Haven’t you figured him out yet? He says so many shit but he is really a good guy.”

 

“Tunnel vision, Niel.” Seongwoo mutters. “Tunnel vision.”

 

It really is not though. Daniel was more than a little surprised when Chungha called him and apologized for spreading that rumor about his sexuality. He meant what he says to Sungwoon, he doesn’t mind people around him knowing that he is into guys, but it feels nice that someone is looking out for him and thinking for him beyond the common courtesy. Plus, he has seen Sungwoon around Chungha. As much as they spat at each other like some kind of snide remarks competition, Sungwoon always gives into Chungha (with many accompanied complaints and whines) and it is adorable.

 

And as he expected, Sungwoon drops by their desk ten minutes later, a cola can in his hand, the yellow streak on his chin gone.

 

“Dance shoes.” He says. “The soles from her dance sneakers are coming off.”

 

“Really?” Seongwoo furrows his brows. “How come I never notice that?”

 

“Because you don’t live with her and have to witness her falling apart shoes.” Sungwoon rolls his eyes. “Plus, she’s always wearing her good shoes when she is out with you.”

 

“That’s actually a very good idea.” Seongwoo brightens up and says. “We met in dance class so it makes it more romantic that I …”

 

“Yeah, I don’t care.” Sungwoon raises a hand and interrupts. Daniel bites down on his lips to not laugh. “Are we done here? I have three more chapters of Supply Chain to go through before I can finally die.”

 

“What’s her shoe size?” Seongwoo asks in a hurry. “I know her feet are like maybe two-three inches longer than my hands.”

 

“How would you know that? Ew. Ew. Ew.” Sungwoon flaps his sweater-pawed hands in disgust and Daniel bursts out laughing. “Don’t answer that actually. I don’t need nightmare material. Her shoe size is US6 and please never talk to me about Chungha’s feet again.”

 

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” Seongwoo mutters and goes back to scrolling through his laptop. “I owe you my firstborn.”

 

“Not if I don’t want it.” Sungwoon wrinkles his nose and says. “Are these my notes?” He points at the notes scattered in front of Daniel and asks.

 

“Yeah,” Daniel grins up at him. “I might actually pass this exam.”

 

“Is it going to be like one of those dramas where I tutor you only for you to snatch my first place in class?” Sungwoon laughs.

 

“Uh-huh,” Daniel nods in false confidence. “I am gonna push your grades down the bell curve so hard they’re gonna have a bruise.”

 

“Bring it, big boy.” Sungwoon smirks.

 

“All this flirting is making me nauseous.” Seongwoo comments.

 

“Die.” Sungwoon replies. “Do I need to tell Chungha that you are looking at the cheapest option for her birthday gift? I saw you sorting by the cheapest price. Don’t try to hide.”

 

“Please,” Seongwoo brings his hands together in a prayer. “I am really very sorry. Please forgive me.”

 

Sungwoon smirks, and just shakes his head.

 

“Actually, I wanted to ask…” Daniel interrupts. “Do you have notes on the Corporate Social Responsibility section? I didn’t see them in the notes you gave to Seongwoo hyung.”

 

“CSR?” Sungwoon raises an eyebrow. “No. I took a CSR specialized course last year so I am kind of good with that.”

 

He is such a nerd.

 

“That’s alright I just have to read it on my own, I guess.” Daniel sighs and flips through the 30-pages long chapter on CSR in disgust.

 

“Groundbreaking idea.” Sungwoon snorts. “Whatever. I need to go back to my shit.”

 

“Thank you,” Seongwoo calls after him. “Again!”

 

Sungwoon just waves without looking back.

 

“You know,” Seongwoo turns back to Daniel and says. “I am kind of glad that he is not dating you.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Can you imagine both of us having to live in fear at the mercy of two 5ft 4 firecrackers with a temper? At least, you were saved.”

 

Daniel can’t help but laugh. “You like your firecracker a lot though.”

 

Seongwoo gives a fond smile and turns back to his gift scouting. “Yeah, well. Maybe your firecracker will like you back too.”

 

“Nah,” Daniel shakes his head. “It’s good being just friends with him.”

 

“Yeah, but I thought you were gonna like _woo_ him.” Seongwoo says.

 

“I don’t know how to woo people.”

 

“I can teach you!”

 

“You ambushed Chungha coming out from the toilet to ask her out. I trust you zero percent with this.”

 

“Yeah, and who is the one without a boyfriend now, loser?”

 

Daniel laughs. “Both of us?”

 

“Ergh, you know what I mean.” Seongwoo groans. “Look, I won’t be saying this if I think it’s useless and Sungwoon will never like you, but you know, he doesn’t seem that bothered about you. I, honest to god, think he is even flirting with you at times. Why don’t you just give it a little push?”

 

Daniel shifts in his seat uncomfortably. Sungwoon would make a good boyfriend to someone, Daniel can see that, but this whole thing started because Daniel got panicked about his crush on Chungha – which he is slowly getting over, he really is; it is hard to keep liking someone when you can see how that someone is totally into his best friend – and lies to everyone in the face of his horror. And Sungwoon probably doesn’t like him like that from the beginning and he is not gonna like Daniel anymore now that everyone was on his case about how he should be dating Daniel.

 

“I’ll just…” he starts. “… take care of it, ok? Don’t worry about it.”

 

“Is it because you just like him as some kind of unattainable dream over the fear of relationships? Like you are scared to push because you are scared of commitments?”

 

Daniel blinks.

 

“Please stop taking those intro-to-psychology classes.”

 

“I am serious.” Seongwoo hisses and drops his tones. “You haven’t dated anyone – guys or girls – since you-know-who …”

 

“He is not Voldemort. You can say his name.” Daniel rolls his eyes.

 

“And dirty my tongue? No.” Seongwoo replies childishly. “Anyway, after that asshole shithead worth of nothing broke you, I’ve never even heard about you talking about liking someone. Sungwoon is the first one and look, I also think he is a decent guy. Terrifying, for some reason, but decent.”

 

Daniel half wonders if Seongwoo is right because he has never really tried for a relationship ever since … that asshole shithead worth of nothing. He is not sure if it is because he really hasn’t found someone he truly likes or it is because of some deep hidden fear inside of him. Even Chungha. He does like her. Did like her, whatever. But whether Seongwoo is chasing her or not, Daniel doesn’t think he’d ever make a move. He never really thought about being with her. Just that she is beautiful and smart and nice to look at.

 

“I am …” Daniel sighs. “Fine. I truly am, alright? Sungwoon just wants to be friends, and I don’t mind that, you know. Take things slow.”

 

Seongwoo just stares at him before shaking his head and looking away. “If you say so, dude.”

 

“I am good.” Daniel assures him again.

 

* * *

 

“Hey,” Seongwoo says after a while, after he had finally turned to studying. “I actually need a favor.”

 

“Shoot.”

 

“Do you mind having dinner with my noona sometime after the exam?”

 

“Me and your noona?” Daniel blinks.

 

“No, dumbass.” Seongwoo replies. “All of us. I am introducing her to Chungha.”

 

“You are introducing her to the family already?” Daniel says in mild shock. “You’ve been seeing each other for like a couple of weeks.”

 

“It wasn’t my idea, ok?” Seongwoo sighs. “My noona saw us on instagram and now she’s pestering me. At least, she hadn’t told my parents yet.”

 

“You really shouldn’t be posting everything on instagram.” Daniel shakes his head.

 

“You have a separate instagram account for your cats.” Seongwoo reminds him.

 

“And it has more followers than both of our accounts so what’s your point?”

 

Seongwoo tsks. “Going back to the topic on hand, my noona wants to meet Chungha but I think we’d both die of stress if that happens so I am doing it as kind of a small social dinner you know? You need to come along and Chungha will probably ask Sungwoon or one of the girls – I don’t know which one is the lesser evil.”

 

“Fine.” Daniel sighs. “When is it?”

 

“After the midterms, don’t worry.” Seongwoo pats him on the shoulder. “At least, if we die during the midterms, we don’t have to deal with awkward family dinners?”

 

“Mood,” Daniel agrees and goes back to skimming the CSR section which is about as exciting as reading the terms and conditions of a contract. Which he has done before, by the way, at a part time job at a law firm, proof reading through the terms and conditions, and losing his will to live with every sentence.

 

A stack of sheets drop on top of his textbook and Daniel looks up to see Sungwoon, a pen stuck behind his ear.

 

“What are these?” Daniel asks, flipping through the papers which are obviously torn from a notebook.

 

“Notes on CSR.” Sungwoon says. “You can take a copy and then give me back the original.”

 

“I thought you said you don’t need notes for CSR.” Daniel says in wonder. How did Sungwoon even write down all these notes in, what, 45 minutes?

 

“Well, no harm in reviewing.” Sungwoon shrugs. “I gotta run to meet up a friend so do you mind putting them back on my table after you copied?”

 

“You are hogging the library table?” Daniel raises an eyebrow and asks.

 

“That table is mine until the exam week is over.” Sungwoon says in a tone that leaves no room for argument, one that makes Daniel wants to clap his heels and salutes and says ‘Yes sir’.

 

“Understood.” Seongwoo interrupts and takes the papers out of Daniel’s hand. “Thank you again. My firstborn is still yours if you want it.”

 

“No, I still don’t want it.” Sungwoon shakes his head and leaves. “Your first paycheck, maybe.”

 

“Noooo…” Seongwoo howls dramatically after him. “Just take my firstborn instead.”

 

“You are so weird,” Daniel comments to Seongwoo and takes back the paper. “I’ll go copy them.”

 

He detours to the small library café next to the copier room on his way out and get some chocolate to thank Sungwoon. The café is only left with Hershey kisses so Daniel got a handful of them and put them on the table on top of the papers.

 

“Aww… that’s so sweet.”

 

Daniel jumps and turns around to see Sejeong hugging her laptop case and staring at him.

 

“What?”

 

“You are giving him Hershey kisses.” Sejeong coos. “This is Sungwoon oppa’s seat, right? Literally no one else has this many notes.”

 

“I wasn’t,” Daniel splutters. “I mean the chocolates are a thank-you thing …”

 

“It’s ok,” Sejeong pats him on the arm. “Sungwoon oppa is a secret romantic. He’ll find it sweet. Keep it up. Fighting.”

 

“Wait, no.” Daniel says uselessly. “Sejeong! Come back!”

 

Sejeong just gives him a blinding smile and bounces off happily.

 

Shit.

 

As luck would have it, Daniel runs into Sungwoon the moment he turns the corner of the bookshelf.

 

“Why did Sejeong just tell me that I need to stop playing hard to get and that she is jealous of me?” Sungwoon narrows his eyes. “What did you do?”

 

“Nothing! I…” Daniel starts to defend but Sungwoon bends his waist to look over Daniel at his table.

 

“Hershey kisses, really?” Sungwoon gives Daniel a flat stare.

 

“I wanted to get you something to thank you!” Daniel says. “And the café only got Hershey.”

 

“You couldn’t have gotten me like a soda or literally anything else?”

 

“You already had a soda earlier!”

 

Sungwoon rolls his eyes and stomps off. “You are the worst.”

 

“I gave you chocolate!”

 

“Still the worst,” Sungwoon says over his shoulders and unwraps a Hershey, chomping it down in one bite.

 

“Enjoy your kisses!” Daniel laughs and Sungwoon almost chokes on the chocolate in his mouth.

 

What a nerd.


	7. Sungwoon

“Please. Please. Please. Please. Please.” Chungha says without taking a breath, clinging onto Sungwoon’s arm and shaking it back and forth to the point where Sungwoon is scared of his elbow joint getting dislocated.

 

“Why can’t Na Young go instead?” Sungwoon whines and Na Young lifts her head from the ramen bowl before slurping her noodles and answering.

 

“I told you I have a date.”

 

“You never had a date before!” Sungwoon retorts back and Chungha hits him in the arm. Na Young gives her a thumbs up. Seriously, he really needs to move out and leave Taehyun to this abuse.

 

“I do now, loser.” Na Young replies. “Plus, I don’t know Ong Seongwoo or Daniel the way you do.”

 

“I know nothing about them!” Sungwoon protests.

 

“That’s not what Won Sik oppa said.”

 

“Wow,” Sungwoon mutters. “Friends were a mistake.”

 

“I am not even trying to set you up with Daniel.” Chungha says. “I told you I am over that. I just need you there as backup and also for you to help me adult my way into Seongwoo’s sister.”

 

Sungwoon grimaces. “That sounds very wrong.”

 

“You know what I mean,” Chungha frowns and Sungwoon does know that she is probably stressing out over this, but he really is not in the mood to have dinner with her and her boyfriend’s family and Daniel. “I’d feel a lot better if I have someone there.”

 

“Seongwoo is there.”

 

“It is not the same thing. Please?” Chungha whines again. “You are good at this socializing stuff.”

 

“So are you!”

 

“Yeah but I have never met a family member of my boyfriend before. That in itself is giving me too much anxiety. I even got a stress pimple. Look at this.” Chungha points at the red spot on her chin, and says. “Also his sister looks like a classy girl and I am nowhere near that sort.”

 

“At least you know yourself,” Sungwoon mumbles and yelps when Chungha hits him again. “Stop hitting me and asking me a favor at the same time! It is very confusing.”

 

“Ahhh,” Chungha yells in frustration and flops down onto the sofa. “Should I just break up with him?”

 

Sungwoon blinks. “You’ll break up with him over this?”

 

“All because of you.”

 

“How am I …” Sungwoon splutters. “What do I have to even do with this?”

 

“Come with me, please?” Chungha says again. “I’ll do your laundry for a week.”

 

Sungwoon crosses his arm. “Make it two, and I want half of your kitchen cabinet space.”

 

Na Young coughs. “That’s our shared cabinet. Chungha, I swear to god, …”

 

“2.5 weeks laundry and one shelf in the cabinet.” Chungha says. “That’s the final offer.”

 

Na Young gives a frustrated sigh, while Sungwoon shakes on Chungha’s extended hand. “Deal.”

 

“Now that it is out of the way,” Chungha jumps from the sofa and claps her hands. “Help me check my outfit for dinner. I am trying to look, you know, classy with a taste of fun.”

 

Sungwoon stares after her as she runs into her bedroom and comes back out with a pink skirt suit that is frankly hideous in Sungwoon’s opinion. It even got shoulder pads and some kind of … frills.

 

“You’d look like a middle aged babysitter in that.” Sungwoon says and Chungha throws the suit at him, hangers included.

 

“Just wear that suit you usually wear for presentations.” Na Young says. “I can lend you my red leather jacket if you want to spice things up. You’d look bomb in that.”

 

“Isn’t red leather jacket a little too much?” Chungha replies, forgetting about strangling Sungwoon and sitting down next to Na Young, attention already shifted like a goddamn gold fish.

 

Sungwoon snorts and pushes off the suit from him before opening up his phone to message Daniel.

 

_Roped into Chungong family dinner. Yuck._

Daniel replies not a minute later.

 

_Are we calling them Chungong now? Sounds like a medicinal drink._

_Me too, btw. See you._

 

Sungwoon laughs and Chungha spares him a glance before going back to her conversation with Na Young.

 

_Well, at least, if we suffer, we’ll suffer together._

 

“Whose recently divorced aunt’s business suit is this?” Taehyun, who just came out from the shower, points at the suit Sungwoon had discarded next to him on the sofa and asks.

 

Chungha karate chops him.

 

* * *

 

The Chungong Family Dinner 2017TM is not that bad.

 

Sure, it was awkward at the beginning because Seongwoo and Daniel were running late, and it was an excruciating five minutes to stand in front of the chosen steakhouse with Seongwoo’s sister, waiting for the arrival of her unpunctual brother and friend and making awkward small talk. Also, Chungha is behaving like a nice normal person instead of the Regina George incarnate that she usually is and that was throwing Sungwoon off a little bit.

 

But the guys arrived, they went into the restaurant, and conversation flows with the wine. Sungwoon finds out Seongwoo’s sister, Ha Won, is an interior designer, which is right up his alley because he loves designing and decorating, and they started talking about how to renovate a rental room on a budget (which Sungwoon is planning to do as soon as his schedules permit), and how to paint over walls with drilled holes everywhere, and how to get the best out of Ikea. Chungha chimes in once in a while but she is a little more demure than usual, and Sungwoon realizes halfway through dinner that maybe she actually is more nervous than she is letting on, and maybe this really is more important to her than Sungwoon thought. Huh. She really must like Ong Seongwoo.

 

So, Sungwoon mainly carries the conversation since it is obvious that Seongwoo’s sister mostly see both Seongwoo and Daniel as kids and she is a little awkward with Chungha. But that is fine with Sungwoon. He can act charming and personable when he needs to be, which is a skill he needs to horn once he is done with school anyway.

 

The girls leave for the washroom before the desserts come. Sungwoon suspects it is for Ha Won to actually get a one-on-one time with Chungha without interference, and as much as he feels for Chungha, it is not something he can step in and help, so he lets her go with a discrete fighting gesture behind Seongwoo’s sister’s back.

 

“I feel like the fifth wheel.” Daniel pipes in. “Who are you and what have you done with Ha Sungwoon?”

 

“What are you talking about?” Sungwoon mumbles.

 

“You are so …” Daniel wrinkles his nose. “…adult. It is seeing one of those promotional company videos, you know, the kind they show at campus for recruitment, all grown-up and fancy.”

 

“Or you are just a child.” Sungwoon says, and Daniel pokes his tongue out at him, which really doesn’t help his case at all.

 

“I am going to kill myself if my noona asks your number after this.” Seongwoo says. “What if she wants to date you?”

 

“I’m still very much into dick.” Sungwoon says and Daniel coughs into his wine glass.

 

“Good to know.” Seongwoo snorts. “Right, Daniel?”

 

Daniel gives him a _look._ “Shut up.”

 

“Daniel has a nice dick, by the way.” Seongwoo says out of the blue and this time, it is Sungwoon who coughs into his glass because he almost chokes himself to death on water.

 

“What the fuck.” Daniel mutters.

 

“How would you know that and why would you bring that up in the middle of a restaurant where your sister and your girlfriend are just round the corner?” Sungwoon hisses.

 

“One,” Seongwoo counts on his fingers. “I know because we’ve been together since we were in elementary school and convinced Park Jun Yeol to eat his crayons because he stole the Curious George plushie from us. I’ve seen Daniel butt naked more than my own girlfriend.”

 

Daniel face dives into his palms loudly, and Sungwoon can relate.

 

“Two,” Seongwoo continues. “Is there any good time for me to bring this up?”

 

“How about _never_?” Sungwoon replies. “God, I can’t believe Ha Won and you are related.”

 

“All the boring genes went to her,” Seongwoo says calmly.

 

Thankfully, Ha Won and Chungha comes back from the washroom just in time before Seongwoo can defame his sister any more or Sungwoon has to listen more about Daniel’s dick (which he’d like to experience by himself first person and not via some word-of-mouth stories, thank you very much).

 

“Are you alright, Daniel?” Ha Won says in concern. “Why is your face so red?”

 

“I … I can’t drink very well.” Daniel stutters.

 

“You drank our father under the table.” Ha Won replies calmly.

 

“Not wine.” Daniel says hurriedly. “I am good with soju but not wine.”

  
“Shouldn’t that be the other way around?” Ha Won mumbles but drops the subject, and turns her attention to the waiter to check on their long overdue desserts. Sungwoon meets eyes with Daniel, who is flushing quite noticeably. Daniel casts his eyes down and looks away, and that is something Sungwoon thought he would never say about Daniel, but it is _endearing_ , and Sungwoon would appreciate if his heart can stop fucking him over. Thanks.

 

* * *

 

They part their way with Ha Won after dinner because she has work in the morning and Seongwoo went with her to the taxi stand to get her a cab.

 

“It wasn’t that bad, was it?” Sungwoon says.

 

Chungha leans her back against the wall and lets out a huge sigh. “No, I think it went fine, but god, that was exhausting. I don’t even mind myself this much when I go to auditions.”

 

“You don’t need to act so differently.” Daniel shoves his hands into his pants pockets and says. “I know his family. They love him a lot and I think they’ll love whoever he wants to bring home. And, I don’t think they’d have to try very hard with you.”

 

“Aww,” Chungha coos and shoulder checks Daniel. “Look at you with all this smooth talk. Can you give Seongwoo oppa a few tips?”

 

Daniel shuffles his feet and laughs with his head down.

 

Sungwoon just wraps his coat tighter around him and wonders why the fuck it is so cold. It is only September.

 

“Yo!” Sungwoon turns around to see Seongwoo skipping happily towards them, and wonders if he and Daniel are both permanently stuck in that elementary kid phase when they first met. But then, Seongwoo is cupping Chungha’s face to kiss her, and yep, never mind.

 

“Wanna go clubbing?” Seongwoo says once he remembers that there are two awkward people standing next to them. “Celebrate the end of midterms and all that?”

 

“I’m pretty sure I got at least 40% right in the Business Ethics exam.” Daniel laughs and adds in. “That in itself is worth celebrating.”

 

“I can’t go clubbing like this!” Chungha protests and gestures at herself. She is just wearing a simple blouse and jeans with flats, all girl-next-door style, which Sungwoon knows is a 180 degree turn around from her regular club get-up.

 

“You look beautiful, babe.” Seongwoo says.

 

“Urgh,” Chungha groans but she can’t hide her smile.

 

Gross.

 

“I saw Hyunbin posted on instagram earlier.” Chungha wraps an arm around Seongwoo’s waist and says to Sungwoon. “He’s DJ-ing tonight. Wanna go to Prince?”

 

Sungwoon raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

 

“What is Prince?” Daniel asks.

 

“Kind of a lounge slash club.” Sungwoon answers. “It’s in Itaewon.”

 

“Sounds good.” Daniel nods.

 

“It’s a gay club.” Sungwoon adds in. “I mean LGBT club, whatever, but, you know, mostly dudes. Who are into dudes.”

 

“Oh,” Daniel mutters. “I’ve never been to a gay bar before.”

 

“We can go elsewhere.” Sungwoon suggests.

 

“No, let’s go.” Daniel says eagerly. “To Prince, I mean. I want to go. You don’t mind, right, Seongwoo hyung?”

 

Seongwoo shrugs. “I don’t mind going to hell itself if it is with my baby.”

 

“Ergh,” Sungwoon retches. “How are you even dating him?”

 

Chungha sighs. “I ask myself that question every day.”

 

“Ya!” Seongwoo protests as Sungwoon takes out his phone to check routes. “That was a romantic declaration!”

 

“Of course, it is, oppa.” Chungha smiles, saccharine sweet.

 

“We can take a bus there.” Sungwoon announces to the group. “The bus stop is about 400 meters away.”

 

“Let’s go then.” Seongwoo says, wrapping an arm around Daniel’s shoulder. “My little bisexual baby, growing up and going to his first gay bar. I am so proud.”

 

“Shut up,” Daniel mumbles and gets himself out of Seongwoo’s hug.

 

“I showed him his first gay porn.” Seongwoo whispers to Sungwoon dramatically.

 

Daniel splutters. “That was only a video of two guys making out, and it was on YouTube! I found gay porn by myself!”

 

Sungwoon shakes his head. “That really isn’t a thing any of you should be proud of.”

 

What are these people even.

 

* * *

 

Later, on their way to the bus stop, Daniel comes walking next to Sungwoon, probably sick of the hardcore hand holding going on between Seongwoo and Chungha.

 

“Are you cold?” Daniel asks and Sungwoon looks up at him.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“You keep wrapping your arms around yourself.” Daniel shrugs. “Cold? Do you want my cardigan?”

 

Sungwoon looks at the long black cardigan Daniel is wearing, one that will probably reach to Sungwoon’s knees if he puts it on.

 

“Forget it dude.” He shakes his head. “It is so thin. Not like it’s gonna help.”

 

Daniel glares at him. “You really don’t have a romantic bone in you, do you?”

 

Sungwoon has plenty of romantic bones in him, thank you very much. He just doesn’t want to be anywhere close to romantic when it comes to Daniel because that is a slippery slope and Sungwoon is already at the edge of that slope, sitting on a sled made out of well-oiled eel skin.

 

“You probably need it more than me.” He says to Daniel. “How are you not freezing?”

 

“I am a Busan man.” Daniel stretches his arms and says in a useless display of masculinity. “The cold does not affect me.”

 

But when they reach at the bus stop and Daniel wraps his arm around Sungwoon shoulder, settling his palm on Sungwoon’s arm, he can feel that it is ice cold even through the thick material of his coat. Sungwoon raises his head to look up at him but Daniel is just steadfastly staring into the traffic without a care in the world.

 

Sungwoon doesn’t ask Daniel to take his hand off.


	8. Sungwoon

Hyunbin is already up on the tiny stage in the middle of the dance floor when Sungwoon steps into Prince with the gang in tow, his long arms and platinum blonde hair easy visible under the multi-colored neon headlights.

 

Chungha goes off to say hi to him while Sungwoon leads Daniel and Seongwoo to the bar, itching for a drink. He doesn’t mind clubs, but he can always tolerate them better with a little bit of alcohol inside him.

 

“Gin and tonic,” He points a finger upwards to the bartender who nods back at him in acknowledgement. Thank god it is a weekday because it is impossible to get the bartenders to even glance a look at his direction during Fridays and weekends. This being a weekday is probably also the reason why Hyunbin is having a gig after 10 instead of the usual crowd warmers early evening gigs he gets on weekends.

 

“Gin and tonic is gross.” Daniel stands next to him and says. “Can I get a vodka with red bull?”

 

“Make that two.” Seongwoo chimes in. “And a whiskey sour please.”

 

Sungwoon is not even surprised that Seongwoo knows Chungha’s drink of choice.

 

“I don’t want to know how high you two can get on both alcohol _and_ red bull.” He mutters instead and gives out his credit card to put it on the tab.

 

“You guys know the DJ?” Seongwoo asks, nodding at the stage where Chungha is laughing along with Hyunbin and poking around the DJ set.

 

“Yeah, he’s about two batches younger than us, but got put into the same project group with Taehyun last year.” Sungwoon says as an explanation and takes the gin glass the bartender pushes towards him. “Why? You jealous?”

 

“I mean,” Seongwoo shrugs. “I don’t think anyone is happy watching their girlfriend around some super model DJ hybrid, but I trust Chungha.”

 

“Good answer,” Sungwoon nods.

 

“But I am gonna act jealous later because jealous sex is hot.”

 

“Why do you over share so much, man!” Sungwoon yells and pulls Daniel in between him and Seongwoo.

 

“It just means he’s comfortable around you.” Daniel laughs, eye crinkling and punching Seongwoo lightly on the arm.

 

“I pity you.” Sungwoon says, sincerely.

 

“I’ve learned to live with it.” Daniel just shrugs.

 

“Let’s dance?” Chungha bops over to them, skipping like she is in a middle school playground. “Ooh. Is this whiskey sour for me? Thank you. Let’s go dance after this round?”

 

“Not in the mood.” Sungwoon shrugs, and leans his butt onto the bar stool. “I just want to drink tonight.”

 

“Me too.” Daniel says and sits down as well. “You two go dance.”

 

“Keep it PG 13.” Sungwoon says but Chungha just rolls her eyes before grabbing Seongwoo by the hand and dragging him onto the dance floor.

 

“You should go dance as well.” Sungwoon kicks at the bar stool that Daniel is sitting on and says. “Don’t mind me or anything. I rarely dance. I am just here to babysit.”

 

“Can I be honest with you?” Daniel says, playing his finger on the rim of his vodka glass and leaning casually against the counter, looking every bit of the heart breaker that he is. “I am a little nervous.”

 

“Of what?”

 

“I’ve been never been to a gay club. I’ve planned to come with Seongwoo hyung once but plans fell through.”

 

“It really isn’t that different from any other club.” Sungwoon shrugs. “The dudes here just won’t sock you in the face if you grind up onto them.”

 

Daniel laughs. “Yeah.”

 

“You should go out there if you want to.” Sungwoon nudges at him and says. “I mean, of course, unless you really don’t want to, but if you are just, you know, nervous or whatever, we are here. You can always come back.”

 

Daniel stares at him and Sungwoon feels the weight of his eyes like harsh rays of sunlight – dangerously heated.

 

“I saw a couple of guys looking at you earlier,” he adds in. It was more than a couple but Sungwoon doesn’t feel like stroking Daniel’s ego right now. “Maybe, you can convince Seongwoo and Chungha that you are finally over me and my stone-cold heart that refuses to love you back.”

 

Daniel laughs at that. “So, that’s your ulterior motive?”

 

“I have no motive.” Sungwoon says snottily. “Ulterior or not.”

 

“I was hoping you just wanted to see me dance.” Daniel says and puts his empty glass on the table. “All right. What’s the worst that can happen, right?”

 

Found a boy that Daniel actually likes and breaks Sungwoon’s heart more?

 

Yeah. What’s the worst that can happen?

 

* * *

 

Daniel is a wonder to look at on the dance floor, all lean body and long limbs and good face. Obviously, anyone with eyes can see and appreciate that so he is surrounded by interested parties in no time, and that was when Sungwoon decided to look away because he is not interested in being a too much of a masochist tonight, and ordered another G&T.

 

He really didn’t have any ulterior motive for pushing Daniel to go out there. Daniel is kind of a baby gay (bi, whatever), and it is quite obvious that he doesn’t have the kind of experience that Sungwoon’s had when it comes to his sexuality. It is not like Sungwoon is the Casanova of the gay scene or anything, but you know, he did have a good thing going on with Minhyun, and a couple of hook ups outside of his one stable past relationship. Daniel, from what Sungwoon could gather, doesn’t have much experience apart from that one douchebag ex he talked about before.

 

And even if Sungwoon wants to the be the guy dancing with Daniel right now – the short brunette who has his back plastered to Daniel’s front and his hand winding back to Daniel’s head so that Daniel’s cheek is lying against his head and his hand in Daniel’s sideburns, Sungwoon does not want to push. He is not the type to play a losing hand if he can help it, which is the whole reason he gave up on Minhyun in the first place. It might suck for a while, but it has proved time and time again to be the better decision in the long run. He can be a good friend to Daniel, someone Daniel probably needs, but Sungwoon will just have to be careful not to fall too far.

 

Hyunbin comes and says hi when his gig ends, so Sungwoon gets a breather from all the thoughts that cloud his mind, and Chungha comes back a little while after Hyunbin left.

 

“I thought Daniel was dancing with you.” She mumbles and steals Sungwoon’s glass.

 

“He looks nothing like me.” Sungwoon wrinkles his noise. The guy dancing with Daniel – who has been dancing with Daniel since Sungwoon’s first glass, looks a little more, you know, Gangnam than him, and also younger – probably on the same age bracket as Daniel, and hopefully not younger. Sungwoon makes a mental note to ask Daniel to check later if he decided to go home with the guy or something.

 

“I was behind them.” Chungha replies. “He’s about the same height as you and kind of has the same hair cut, so I assume.”

 

Sungwoon shrugs. “Where’s Seongwoo?”

 

“Pee break.” Chungha answers. “Are you sure you don’t want to hit that?” Chungha asks, hooking a thumb over to point at Daniel.

 

“Chungha…” Sungwoon sighs.

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Chungha waves a hand at him. “You just want to be friends with him. You don’t like him like that. Whatever. I don’t understand you.”

 

“I don’t need you to.”

 

Chungha gives him his glass back, after it was emptied a good half. “Tell me it is not because of Minhyun.”

 

“Chungha.” Sungwoon warns her.

 

“Humor me, ok?” Chungha pushes. “It’s been over a year but you haven’t really dated anyone since then, and don’t tell me it is because of lack of choices. That dude back in New Year, the one we met at one of Taehyun’s shows, was head over heels for you but you rejected him. And now, you keep saying you don’t want to date a whole Kang Daniel even after months of crushing on him.”

 

“It is not because of Minhyun.” Sungwoon says solemnly. “I broke up with him because I believed it was the best thing to do and I haven’t regretted it.”

 

That is a lie. There were a lot of times Sungwoon had regretted it, especially in the beginnings, but those are the regrets of losing Minhyun, not of his decision. He will live with it and they will fade over time. A lot of them already had.

 

“Still,” Chungha starts but Seongwoo and Daniel arrive, arms wrapped around each other’s shoulder and she drops it, thankfully.

 

“Where’s the dude you were frolicking with?” Sungwoon asks a Daniel without the guy attached to his chest, and looks around the club. He did spot the dude, at a table at the other end of the room, sipping on his beer with an honest-to-god pout. “I thought you were having a good time.”

 

“I was.” Daniel grimaces. “Until he asks me if I want to go home with him.”

 

Sungwoon drowns what is left of his alcohol. “And you didn’t say yes? With the way you were all over him, I’d have thought you two wouldn’t even make it out of this club.”

 

“He also said that his daddy is always looking forward for more baby boys to play around with.”

 

Seongwoo does a double spit-take on his beer and Chungha freezes before launching into a giggly fit.

 

“And, you know,” Daniel shrugs. “I know you told me to go out there but having a threesome with some _daddy_ is too out there for me.”

 

Sungwoon cannot help but laughs. “Only you, Kang Daniel.”

 

Daniel smiles at him.

 

“Shots before we go?” Chungha suggests. “They have this amazing shot called cock sucking cowboy. Oh, you’ll love it,” she adds in at the identical grimace on Seongwoo and Daniel’s faces. “It’s mostly just bailey and chocolate syrup and whip cream.”

 

“Well then,” Seongwoo puts his empty beer bottle onto the table with a clang, and declares. “Bartender, give me and my respectable friends four cock sucking cowboys, please.”

 

* * *

 

Chungha has reached the last of the three routine stages of her clubbing cycle. The first – dance; the second – drinks; and the last, the puking.

 

“I can’t believe I am saying this,” Sungwoon says to Daniel as they both lean against the wall outside the club, listening to Chungha retching in the back alley behind them and Seongwoo shushing her consolingly. “But thank god for Ong Seongwoo.”

 

Daniel laughs and stumbles a little into Sungwoon’s side.

 

“Dude,” Sungwoon holds him steady and says warily. “Do I need to hold your hair while you puke too?”

 

“I am fine.” Daniel waves him off and steadies himself. “I just get a little dizzy. Too much mix, I think.”

 

Probably. Sungwoon only had his gin tonic and the shots, but Daniel has been drinking since the dinner – from wine to vodka and shots here and Sungwoon is pretty sure he and Seongwoo shared a beer bucket between the two of them.

 

“Here,” Sungwoon hands him a lemon candy from his pocket. He had pocketed a couple earlier at the restaurant from their candy bowl at the cash counter. “It’s a little on the too sour side. Maybe it’ll freshen you up a bit.”

 

“Did you steal these from the steakhouse?” Daniel asks as he unwraps it and plops it into his mouth.

 

“They are free for the taking!” Sungwoon argues. “Plus, they charge 10,000 won just for side mash. It’s only fair.”

 

“You didn’t even pay for dinner.” Daniel snorts. “Ha Won noona did.”

 

Sungwoon elbows him in the stomach and Daniel lets out a little _oof_ that is borderline dramatic if you ask Sungwoon. He didn’t even use that much force.

 

“Hey,” Sungwoon says as Daniel dramatically kneels over in fake pain. “Isn’t that the _baby boy_ guy?”

 

Daniel lifts his head at once as the guy in question gets into the sports car brought over by the valet (since when does Prince even have a valet), and takes off, but not before landing his eyes on Daniel and giving him a stinky glare.

 

“Damn,” Daniel mutters. “I should have gone with him just so I can ride a Ferrari once in my lifetime.”

 

“Sex for a sweet ride? I’ll take it.” Sungwoon holds out a fist and Daniel bumps it.

 

“Technically, sex can be a sweet ride.” Daniel says with a ridiculous wink and Sungwoon snorts.

 

“Yeah, somehow it totally makes sense that you and Seongwoo grew up together.”

 

“Is that an insult?” Daniel wrinkles his forehead.

 

“Not if you don’t want it to be.” Sungwoon smiles up at him.

 

“Yeah, well.” Daniel shrugs. “Maybe next time, I’ll get lucky, you know. Find a guy who is ok with just the plain old vanilla sex.”

 

“I bet there are plenty of them inside.” Sungwoon nods his head towards the club. “That guy wasn’t the only one interested.”

 

“Yeah, but, I wasn’t interested in anyone else, you know.” Daniel says and fuck if that does not sting a little bit.

 

“Wow so your epic and school-wide legendary love for me is a lie?” Sungwoon says anyway because obviously, the only way to deal with pain is with sarcasm.

 

Daniel giggles and wraps both of his arms around Sungwoon so Sungwoon is suddenly engulfed by smells of mixed alcohol and cologne and sweat. It is kind of disgusting but Sungwoon wants to stay here always.

 

“I want no one else but you.” Daniel says in total somberness and Sungwoon knows this is part of the weird relationship of push and pull and taunts between the two of them, but his heart still skips a beat because he is a weak bitch.

 

“Let me go before Chungha sees us and starts printing wedding invites.” He says instead and Daniel chuckles before letting him go into the cold night again.

 

“I think she’s way past that. Probably getting our joint tombstones as we speak.”

 

“Yes, that is not a disturbing imagery at all.” Sungwoon says and puts a candy into his mouth so that he has something to do with his hands and mouth.

 

“Thank you, by the way,” Daniel says and Sungwoon looks at him in question. “For bringing me here, I mean, and talking me into going dancing.”

 

“You are welcome,” Sungwoon shrugs. “Kind of feel responsible as your gay Yoda.”

 

“You are not my gay Yoda,” Daniel wrinkles his nose and says. “I am a perfectly functioning bisexual man. I don’t need … training.”

 

“Have you dated anyone?” Sungwoon asks, not to be a dick or to question Daniel’s claims of being a perfectly functioning bisexual. He is just curious. Back when Daniel was not in his near orbit and just a crush to admire from afar, Sungwoon thought that there is no way someone like Daniel to be single regardless of his sexuality. And the fact that Daniel might not have dated anyone since high school? That sounds way too ridiculous for him. “Since your douchebag ex?”

 

Daniel turns his face to look at him. “Why?”

 

“Just curious, I guess.” Sungwoon shrugs. “It’s just, you know, it is almost like you are giving up too readily. First, on Chungha, then that guy.”

 

“I have perfectly good reasoning for both and that guy is nowhere close to Chungha.”

 

“Chungha is… Chungha.” Sungwoon says dumbly. “I am not saying you are in love with that guy or anything, but let’s be frank here. He wasn’t the only one interested. I saw a couple of other guys hitting on you. If you really wanted to go home with someone tonight, you could have.”

 

“Did you and Seongwoo hyung have some kind of Kang Daniel Psychoanalysis 101 section?” Daniel snorts.

 

“I have better things to do than gossip with Seongwoo about you.” Sungwoon retorts. “Why? Did he say the same thing?”

 

“He said…” Daniel sighs out a huff. “He asked if I am giving up so readily on you because I am scared of commitment.”

 

“Are you?” Sungwoon asks. “I mean, not on the part of giving me up. You don’t give up something you don’t want. I mean more on the scared part. Are you scared?”

 

“No.” Daniel replies instantly before looking away. “Maybe? I don’t know. It’s kind of fucked up to get your heart broken on the first try, you know.”

 

“What did that asshole do to you?” Sungwoon asks. He’d have thought Daniel would be the one going around breaking hearts, not the one on the other side, nursing his broken heart himself.

 

“Nothing I want to talk about.” Daniel gives a bitter laugh. “It’s bullshit anyway. It’s been like, what, 3 or 4 years. I am over it.”

 

“Hey,” Sungwoon says and reaches over to take Daniel’s hand. His hand is freezing, again. Sungwoon’s got to buy the guy some mittens or something. “You know that whatever that guy did, it’s because he’s a dipshit, right? I mean, I’ve never met the guy, but I am sure he is a grade A asshole, and it has nothing to do with you as a person. Your luck was just shitty, meeting someone like that.”

 

Daniel looks down at his hand inside Sungwoon’s before turning it so that their fingers are intertwined. Sungwoon shudders a little bit at the icy touch.

 

“I know.” Daniel mutters, so low that Sungwoon almost missed his words in the buzz of the night traffic.

 

“Ok,” Sungwoon just says. “As long as you know that, it’s fine whether or not you are ready for a relationship or a hook-up, whatever. I mean, yeah, that guy is not even that cute. Also, have you seen Chungha and Seongwoo? Being in love looks exhausting.”

 

“Thanks,” Daniel laughs lowly.

 

“Don’t mention it.” Sungwoon says. “I really mean it. Don’t mention it to anyone. Nobody can know that …” Sungwoon looks down at their joined hands. “… we are holding hands.”

 

Daniel snorts. “Ok, princess. I’ll protect your reputation.”

 

“Fuck off.” Sungwoon bites back but keeps his hand around Daniel’s still.


	9. Daniel

Daniel does love the winter and the cold. What he doesn’t love, however, is when the winter somehow invites the rain in as well because he really can’t appreciate the coldness when it involves wetness.

 

Plus, who even carries umbrellas these days?

 

“Hyung, do you still have some umbrellas?” He asks Jisung, who is manning the library desk today. Some seniors from previous year did a project on an umbrella loaning service for their Entrepreneur course and the university had taken a liking to it enough to let them implement it school-wide. But when it does rain, these umbrellas sell out like hot cakes and it is lucky if you can even get a glimpse of one.

 

“Your lucky day,” Jisung replies and reaches under his desk for a plain black umbrella. “Last one.”

 

Thank you, gods of Entrepreneur.

 

“Dinner later?” Daniel asks as he takes the Loan form from Jisung and fills in his student ID number. “My group meeting is done at 4.”

 

“Sure.” Jisung shrugs. “Come back here to drop off that umbrella and we’ll go. If you lose it again…”

 

“That was one time,” Daniel rolls his eyes. “And I paid the fine for it, didn’t I?”

 

“The fine costs more than buying a new umbrella. Why don’t you just buy one?”

 

“Because then I’d have to carry it around.” Daniel explains and pushes back the form. “See you.”

 

He is just rounding the corner from the library desk to head towards the exit when he hears a familiar voice, albeit with a bit of panting, in the background.

 

“Hyung! Umbrella!”

 

“Sold out, kid.” Daniel hears Jisung says. “Your boy got the last one, actually.”

 

“I don’t have a boy…” Daniel pokes his head out of the corner to wave at Sungwoon who automatically scowls at the sight of him. “Ergh. You.”

 

“Hello to you too.” Daniel laughs as Sungwoon saunters towards him.

 

“I have an interview. Give me the umbrella.” Sungwoon says urgently.

 

“Interview for what?” Daniel gives a good look over at Sungwoon who is dressed pretty smartly, in black slacks and white dress shirts.

 

“Well, not exactly an interview, but my Econs prof is having a seminar with some company heads and he invited me along. I need to make a good impression so I can get into a good slave contract after school.”

 

“Wow, capitalism, huh?” Daniel deadpans. “When’s the seminar?”

 

“In like 30 minutes.”

 

“That’s plenty of time.” Daniel blinks. “Just wait until the rain stops. I have to run for my group meeting. It’s starting in like 5 minutes.”

 

“It has been raining for the past hour!” Sungwoon replies. “It’s not going to stop in the next half an hour. C’mon man.”

 

“We can share.” Daniel suggests, opening the umbrella. “Your Econs prof’s office is at the Business building, right? I’m heading there as well.”

 

Sungwoon tsks, clearly unhappy but nods along anyway. Daniel holds the umbrella over the both of them, and pulls Sungwoon closer so he is covered for a good portion before leading them out into the rain.

 

The library and the Business building takes a good 3/4 minutes to walk in clear weather, but the wind is heavy and the rain drops are sucker punching them in the face so they had to stumble around for a good 10 minutes. Daniel’s left side exposed to the rain is completely drenched and he can only imagine Sungwoon’s right side is in the same situation, although to be fair, in this kind of rain, even if each of them is carrying a beach umbrella, it is not going to help.

 

“Shit,” Sungwoon swears once they get under the extended rooftop of the Business building. “I am literally drowning.”

 

“Yeah, me too.” Daniel replies distractedly and shakes himself off in an attempt to dry himself a little.

 

“This is why you should have just given me the umbrella, you idiot.” Sungwoon mumbles. “Then at least, one of us will be dry.”

 

“Why is there no scenario where _you_ give up the umbrella for me?” Daniel mutters. “I was the one who got it first.”

 

“This is why I wouldn’t date you.” Sungwoon sulks, and Daniel can’t help but laughs. He looks kind of funny to be honest, hair flat wet against the forehead and dress shirt soaked. At the same time, Daniel feels kind of bad too, so he checked his watch to see how much time he can possibly steal off. His meeting probably had already started and he is already late so it won’t make that much of a difference if he is a little later.

 

“You still have about 15 minutes, right?” He asks Sungwoon who is staring down at his drenched self in grief.

 

“Why?”

 

“C’mon.” Daniel motions for him to follow and heads towards the escalator going down to the basement. “We can dry off in the gym.”

 

“Of course, you’d be a gym buff.” Sungwoon mutters but follows Daniel along.

 

Woojin is manning the counter so Daniel lifts a hand in greeting at him while Sungwoon looks around besides him in curiosity. Daniel is pretty sure that this is the first time Sungwoon has probably set foot in the gym.

 

“I need your member card.” Woojin says to Sungwoon after Daniel had handed him his own member card.

 

“Oh, I am not …” Sungwoon mutters and looks up at Daniel, lost.

 

“I still have my one guest spot left, right?” Daniel says to Woojin. “Can I use it today?”

 

“Sure.” Woojin nods. “I’ll still need your student card, though.”

 

Sungwoon nods and reaches into his wallet before handing it over to Woojin, who quickly types into his computer.

 

“You are Ha Sungwoon?” Woojin asks, as he hands the card over to Sungwoon. “The guy Jihoon wants to beat up?”

 

Sungwoon splutters and Daniel face palms.

 

“It’s cool though.” Woojin shrugs and reaches into the back cabinet to take out two gym standard towels. “He’s mostly talk, but if you want, I can walk you through our self defense class options.”

 

“I am a black belt!” Sungwoon blurts out.

 

What.

 

“Sure,” Woojin raises an eyebrow, clearly not believing and hands them the towels and two keys. “Daniel hyung, key for your regular locker room, and Locker A16 for your guest.”

 

“I really do have a black belt, you moro…” Sungwoon yells and Daniel grabs him by the arm to lead him towards the locker rooms because Sungwoon probably does have a black belt, but so does Woojin and as much as Daniel wants to see the Mortal Combat 2017: Woojin vs. Sungwoon, now is not the time.

 

“How do you have not one normal person in your friend list?” Sungwoon turns his fury to Daniel and asks.

 

“You are my friend too. Aren’t you?” Daniel smirks.

 

“I’ll roundhouse kick you back to Busan, Kang Daniel.” Sungwoon threatens but Daniel just pushes him into the locker room.

 

“Maybe when you are not rushing on time?”

 

Sungwoon glares at him, but takes the towel and locker room key from Daniel before going off to find his locker. Daniel just shakes his head with a small laugh and heads towards his regular locker room to change into a spare shirt he has in his locker.

 

Daniel follows the hair dryer noises afterwards to find Sungwoon in his undershirt with the big white gym towel wrapped on his head, and both hands holding the two available hair dryers at the mirror station and pointing them at his dress shirt lying flat on the station counter.

 

He looks utterly ridiculous.

 

“Your neck is about to snap.” Daniel points at the three feet tall towel concoction Sungwoon has going on top of his head and says. “Just dry your hair first.”

 

“This shirt takes forever to dry.” Sungwoon yells back, voice muffled among the hair dryer noises.

 

Daniel goes behind him and tugs at the towel until it comes loose enough for him to pull it off. Sungwoon almost tumbles back and Daniel wonders how light Sungwoon actually is.

 

“Ya! Don’t.” Sungwoon yells in protest when Daniel rubs the towel on his wet hair, and Daniel really is trying to help, but Sungwoon looks ridiculous so Daniel just wants to tease him a little and sways the big towel back and forth, and Sungwoon’s head underneath along with it. But then, Sungwoon suddenly turns and there is a blow of hot air directly in Daniel’s face so he has to let go.

 

“You want to die by my hand today, is that it?” Sungwoon turns and glares up at him, and Daniel knows he is worsening it by laughing back but Sungwoon is just … too cute sometimes.

 

“I’ll do it for real,” Daniel laughs and pushes Sungwoon’s face back down. “Sorry.”

 

Sungwoon doesn’t protest so Daniel just takes it as a yes and towels through Sungwoon’s hair, a bit more gently this time as Sungwoon focuses on drying his shirt.

 

“Give me one.” Daniel opens his hand in front of Sungwoon and Sungwoon blinks in confusion before handing over one hair dryer to him. Daniel blows the hot air stream through Sungwoon’s already dried hair so it resembles something neat and styled.

 

“It’s fine, dude.” Sungwoon strains out. “Just leave it.”

 

“Two seconds,” Daniel replies distractedly and pushes Sungwoon’s fringe up a bit and blow hot air under it to keep it in place. “There you go. You look better with your hair up.”

 

Sungwoon meets his eyes in the mirror. “You pay a lot of attention to my looks?”

 

“Of course,” Daniel laughs. “You are supposed to be the love of my life.”

 

“Urgh,” Sungwoon rolls his eyes and goes back to drying his shirt. “Old joke.”

 

Daniel smiles. “You really do look better like this though. I mean, not that you know, you don’t look good before. Just…”

 

Sungwoon sighs and turns off the hair dryers before turning and facing Daniel. “You really haven’t done this before? Just say I look nice and go.”

 

“You look amazing.” Daniel says in sincerity. Sungwoon really does. There is a, Daniel doesn’t know how to describe it, kind of freshness to his face. The kind his mom calls simple beauty – the kind of beauty that is modest enough not to overwhelm anything but it is always there in the background, still and solid. Of course, his mom uses that term to usually describe curtains and dinnerware, but Daniel thinks it does apply to Sungwoon’s face.

 

“Thanks,” Sungwoon says unsurely and Daniel, for the hundredth time, wonders how can someone who is this loud and insolent can be this soft and endearing at times. Sungwoon is a walking contradiction and Daniel feels like there is much more left for Daniel to figure him out completely. “I really need to hurry up though.”

 

“Sure,” Daniel steps back so Sungwoon has enough space to put on his shirt. “I should head to my meeting as well.” His project group mates are probably going to bitch, but Daniel will just reel them in with his superior slide making skills later.

 

* * *

  

“Already?” Woojin raises an eyebrow when Daniel returns him the locker keys. Sungwoon’s scowl is back on his face although Woojin is not even paying him attention.

 

“We just wanted to dry ourselves.” Daniel tells him.

 

“That’s misuse of gym facilities.” Woojin mutters, no bites to his words.

 

“Thank you, Woojin.” Daniel laughs and gives him a high five before pulling Sungwoon along and out of the gym.

 

“I’m gonna run.” Sungwoon takes a look at his watch and says. “Thank you anyway, although this was your fault from the start because you won’t give me the umbrella.”

 

“Is that so?” Daniel laughs. “Where is your non-interview anyway?”

 

“Seminar Room 201.” Sungwoon says as he jogs over to the escalator. “See ya!”

 

“Good luck, hyung!” Daniel yells after him and Sungwoon turns from the escalator to give him a small smile, and Daniel feels like he hasn’t seen something this pretty in years.

 

* * *

 

Daniel’s meeting ends on time despite him being late a good half hour, and he is supposed to be going for dinner with Jisung as promised, but he is curious, so Daniel heads towards the second floor where the Seminar Room 201 is.

 

There is a bored looking student with an official lanyard around her neck in front of the door that labeled “Economics Forum 021395”, so this must be it. Daniel asks the girl and she says it should be over in 10 minutes or so. Daniel makes up his mind and texts Jisung that he can’t make it for dinner, and sits down on one of the small benches facing the Seminar Room. He’ll probably just drop off the umbrella tomorrow.

 

20 minutes past and Daniel is still sitting there, his phone battery half wasted.

 

“Sorry,” the girl mutters to him from across the hall. “These things can sometimes drag on for quite long.”

 

“It’s alright.”

 

“Are you waiting on someone?”

 

“Yeah,” Daniel nods, and before he can finish his sentence, the door is pulled opened and a flock of older people is varying form of monotonous business suits come out of it, polished heels and boots clanking sharply against the floor. Daniel kind of feels out of place in his ripped jeans and dirty sneakers even though he is the one who actually belongs in this place.

 

Sungwoon comes out last, talking to his Econs prof and a few other people, and Daniel is reminded of the Sungwoon who was at the dinner table with Ha Won the other day – all polished and grown up. It is not exactly a different person, but still it is fascinating to watch – how Sungwoon adapts to people around him, but Daniel does hope that the Sungwoon he gets to know– the loud and sarcastic and strangely enough, happy-go-lucky guy – is the closet to who Sungwoon naturally is.

 

Sungwoon’s eyes land on him and Daniel raises a hand with a small smile. Sungwoon just looks at him before finishing his handshakes with everyone in front of him and coming over.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“I just finished my meeting.” Daniel lies. “I just came over to see how it went.”

 

“Fine.” Sungwoon answers. “It went fine.”

 

“So, you’ve secured your slave contract?”

 

Sungwoon snorts. “I’d sleep better at night if I did.”

 

“Why don’t you leave the whining and worrying to us non-summa cum laude folks?” Daniel laughs. “You wanna go for dinner? I don’t have any plans.”

 

“You were waiting on Sungwoon?” The girl from earlier comes over and asks.

 

“Hi, Dahye.” Sungwoon turns to greet her. “You know Daniel?”

 

“No,” Dahye shrugs. “He was just here waiting for you for half an hour.”

 

Sungwoon raises and eyebrow at him, and Daniel kind of wants to hide his face. “20 minutes,” he corrects her anyway. “It was only 20 minutes.”

 

“I wasn’t tracking time.” Dahye replies and hands Sungwoon a stack of paper. “The questionnaire from today. Can you upload it to the school forum later?”

 

“Sure,” Sungwoon takes them and Daniel shoves his hands into his pocket, looking around awkwardly.

 

“20 minutes?” Sungwoon turns to him and asks once Dahye takes her leave.

 

“I had nothing to do.” Daniel shrugs. “And I was really curious to see how it went?”

 

Sungwoon sighs. “I have plans.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Dinner. I can’t do dinner.” Sungwoon says and oh, right.

 

Daniel is not sure why he is more disappointed than it is warranted though. It’s just dinner. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just head out, yeah? At least, it’s stopped raining.”

 

“Ok,” Sungwoon mumbles and follows after him. Maybe it is the two hour long seminar, but Sungwoon feels a little more, for the lack of a better word, reserved.

 

But, not for long, because they run into Jihoon and Woojin near the gates, hand in hand.

 

“How are you inside the gates?” Daniel asks Jihoon. Jihoon is still in the pre-university course, meaning he should only have access to the library where his courses are held and not the actual school buildings.

 

“I am picking up Woojin.” Jihoon shrugs like that explains everything. It doesn’t, but Daniel wouldn’t be surprised if these two cloned Woojin’s student card or something. Illegal, but not surprising. “Sup?” He says to Sungwoon. Sungwoon glowers.

 

Woojin leans in to whisper something into Jihoon’s ear and Jihoon smirks. “You are a black belt?”

 

“Why don’t you try and see?”

 

“No one,” Daniel angles his body so he is kind of in between the two of them, because he has never seen Jihoon turning down a challenge. He almost died from the fire ramen challenge six month back. “… is gonna try anything.”

 

“We are gonna be late for the games, bro.” Woojin tugs at Jihoon and says. “I spent half my paycheck on the tickets, so if we are late, I’ll fight your ass myself.”

 

Jihoon just snorts and lets Woojin pull him away. “Later, Daniel hyung!”

 

“They are dating?” Sungwoon asks, scandalous as Daniel watches each of them tap a card at the entry and go out. Yes, definitely illegally cloned cards.

 

“Nobody knows.” Daniel shrugs. “I’m guessing they don’t either.”

 

“They were holding hands!” Sungwoon reminds him.

 

“So?” Daniel shrugs. “We held hands the other day.”

 

“I told you never to talk about that.” Sungwoon grits through clenched teeth.

 

“No,” Daniel laughs. “You told me to never mention that to anyone. And, I am not. I am just mentioning it to you.”

 

“Semantics,” Sungwoon mutters and heads towards the gates. Daniel goes after him, and in a moment of stupid curiosity, he grabs at Sungwoon’s free hand.

 

“What the hell?” Sungwoon stops in his track and looks up at Daniel.

 

“I thought I was drunk but they actually are quite small.” Daniel says, fitting Sungwoon’s hand perfectly into the palm of his hand. Sungwoon pulls away his hand with a tsk, and glares at him.

 

“What?” Daniel shrugs. “I think it’s cute.”

 

“I am not cute.” Sungwoon scowls.

 

“Absolutely adorable.” Daniel laughs and wraps an arm around Sungwoon, but he gets out of Daniel’s hold quickly.

 

“I am gonna be late.”

 

“Hey, you are not actually mad, right?” Daniel asks because as trivial as it seems to him, Sungwoon sounds a little more serious than the usual times they joke around. Daniel doesn’t think being called cute is that much of an offense, but he asks just to be safe. “I am just joking around.”

 

“I know,” Sungwoon says and taps his card out of the gate. “I don’t like being called cute just because I am small.”

 

“You are not cute because you are small.” Daniel follows him and says. “You are cute because you are cute.”

 

Sungwoon glares at him again.

 

“Fine, you are not cute at all. You are abominable, in fact. Happy?”

 

“Peachy.” Sungwoon rolls his eyes, and takes off before Daniel can say one more word.

 

It is always the cutest people that do not like being called cute.


	10. Sungwoon

Now that Seongwoo had hijacked his idea of new pair of sneakers for Chungha’s birthday, Sungwoon has to come up with an alternate gift, which is a pain in the ass because Sungwoon is not good at this gift giving thing. He is more of a practical instead of sentimental values guy and if it is up to him, he’d just give everyone money as gift so they can go and buy whatever they want. But Chungha is unexpectedly corny when it comes to things like these so he can’t exactly do that, not without Chungha holding a grudge on him for months.

 

But luckily, he saw Chungha and Taehyun yelling at each other over a GTA game in the living room one evening, and that’s when the idea hits him.

 

Oh, Sungwoon is going to give Chungha the best birthday present ever. Ong Seongwoo better watch out.

 

* * *

 

“You are really gonna teach me how to drive?” Chungha jumps, arms flailing and eyes wide. “Oh my god.”

 

“And I’ll pay for your exam fee when you go get your license.” Sungwoon says.

 

“And then get me a car?”

 

“Don’t push it.”

 

Chungha giggles before head diving into Sungwoon’s chest, arms around his waist.

 

“You are the best.”

 

* * *

 

 

“You are the worst!” Sungwoon yells, hand grabbing at the handle on the side. Now he understands why Chungha never completed any of the driving course she’s taken. It’s because all her instructors had probably died on the road from heart failure and/or stress. “When I say slow down, I don’t mean press on the accelerator! Accelerator means it accelerates, you idiot.”

 

“I panicked, ok?” Chungha yells back and stops the car, so gently that Sungwoon almost throws himself off of the seat and brains himself on the dashboard.

 

“Why are you stopping?”

 

“I am scared of turning. You do it.” Chungha says and unfastens her seat belt before getting out of the car.

 

“For fuck’s sake,” Sungwoon mutters and gets out as well. “How are you going to learn driving if you don’t actually drive?”

 

“Why did you get a seven-seater car then?” Chungha shouts. “The steering wheel is so heavy and it is a fucking manual. I can’t even drive an auto.”

 

“This is the only car I can get, and I had to practically beg Won Sik for it.” Sungwoon glowers and gets into the driver seat to turn the corner onto the empty road that they are practicing on, before stopping it again. He has been doing this for about six or seven times now. Getting in and out of the driver seats every time Chungha chickens out.

  
“C’mon.” He motioned towards her. “Get to the end of the road and try turning there. The street light is brighter over there.”

 

Chungha looks unconvinced but still gets into the driver seat and takes off. Sungwoon holds onto his dear handle for the life of him again.

 

“Slowly,” Sungwoon says word by word as they gets closer to the intersection. Chungha grits her teeth and turns the steering wheel. “Keep your feet off of any pedal. Ok, we are doing good. Wait, Chungha, don’t press on it. Shit.”

 

Three things come into Sungwoon’s mind immediately once he gathers himself enough to be mindful of his surroundings. One, that is definitely smoke coming out of the front bumper where the car had hit a tree on the sidewalk and Won Sik is going to kill him. Two, that is definitely blood on the dashboard, a pool of blood, in fact, and Sungwoon doesn’t know how it got there but Won Sik is going to kill him for that as well. And three, his head fucking hurts.

 

“Sungwoon! Sungwoon!” The door next to him gets pulled opened and Sungwoon looks up to see two Chunghas looking down at him. Hah. His vision is crossed too. “Why aren’t you wearing your seat belt, you fucking moron?! Why are you taking your coat off?”

 

“I have to clean this.” Sungwoon mutters and wipes his coat uselessly at the pool of blood on the dashboard. A couple drops of blood drips onto his hand, and oh, it is from his head.

 

Fuck.

 

* * *

 

Both the police and the paramedics arrive about half an hour later, and Sungwoon finds himself in the back of an ambulance, getting prodded and poked by a medic.

 

“You need to go to the hospital.” The medic says after she cleans the wound on Sungwoon’s head. “It is not very deep but it needs stitches. And you need to get an X-ray for your hand as well. It doesn’t look broken to me, but it is probably sprained if it keeps hurting like that.”

 

Sungwoon holds the said hand into his chest and whimpers. Both from the physical pain and the mental pain of thinking about how much this is going to eat at his bank account even with his student insurance. He pokes his head out to find Chungha who is supposed to be giving a statement to the police because if he yells at her, he might feel a little better.

 

What he doesn’t expect to see (but still somehow manages to make him feel a lot better) is Daniel running towards him, out of breath and concerned.

 

“Shit.” Daniel says once he is in front of Sungwoon. “Are you ok? Let me see.”

 

“How are you here?” Sungwoon asks.

 

“The wound looks serious. What does he need?” He turns to the medic and asks, not answering Sungwoon’s question.

 

“I am taking him to the hospital.” The medic says and closes her first aid box.

 

“I’ll come with.” Daniel says urgently and pushes Sungwoon by the shoulder into the ambulance. “Do you have a blanket or something?”

 

“Dude,” Sungwoon grabs at Daniel’s hand. “I am not in shock or anything. I mean, I was but I am fine now. Quit being extra. Where is Chungha? I can’t leave her alone here.”

 

“Seongwoo hyung is here. I’ll go tell them.” Daniel says and goes off again.

 

“You alright with riding in the back with just your friend?” The medic asks. “We heard it was a minor case so I came by myself.”

 

“Sure,” Sungwoon shrugs.

 

“They are still talking to the police.” Daniel comes back and says, before climbing into the ambulance next to Sungwoon. The medic hands him a blanket and an ice packet before closing the door, leaving just the two of them in the back. “They are trying to call Won Sik now.”

 

“Fuck,” Sungwoon grimaces and that only hurts the wound on his head more. “He is going to kill me.”

 

“You were not the one driving.” Daniel says and wraps the blanket around Sungwoon before taking Sungwoon’s injured wrist that he is cradling in his arm. Sungwoon yelps a little but Daniel just sets it gently on his knee and puts the ice pack over it.

 

“I was the one who borrowed it with a promise to not even put a single mark on his baby.” Sungwoon groans. “And now Chungha wrapped it around a tree.”

 

“She told me you weren’t wearing the seat belt.” Daniel says gravely, gripping Sungwoon’s hand gently as the car bumps over on the road. “Are you crazy? You are in a car with someone who can’t drive and you don’t even think about putting your seat belt on? Do you want to die that much?”

 

“I was getting in and out of the seat so I forgot.” Sungwoon defends himself even though he shouldn’t be. He really was careless, but who does Daniel think he is. Coming here and acting like he is someone with the right to. “She didn’t even hit the tree that hard.”

 

“Yeah, how thoughtful of her. Hitting a tree gently instead of crashing into it and killing you both.” Daniel scowls. “She should have just gone for the official driving lessons instead of being this reckless.”

 

“Those cost some serious bucks, and I offered to teach her, ok?” Sungwoon says. “Lay off her.”

 

“You could have been hurt worse.” Daniel mutters. “When she called, she said you were in shock and fuck, I was so worried. I kept imagining worst case scenarios.”

 

“She’s a drama queen, you know that.” Sungwoon replies to him. “Oh shit, I forgot to ask her to get a check out from the medic as well.”

 

“She’s fine.” Daniel mutters and runs his finger over Sungwoon’s sprained wrist. It is not the world’s most comfortable feeling, but it doesn’t hurt that much so Sungwoon doesn’t ask him to stop. “Again, because she is wearing the seat belt like she’s supposed to and not an idiot.”

 

“Stop yelling.” Sungwoon groans. “My head and my hand are already hurting. Leave my ears alone.”

 

“I am just worried.” Daniel sighs. “I come running once I heard.”

 

He really did. Sungwoon gives Daniel a look over and he is in his thread thin sweatshirt and track pants with stains under his large coat, clearly his home wears.

 

“You are worried Chungha will kill me and get herself a manslaughter charge?” Sungwoon says in vain attempt to lighten the mood. “The prosecutors will probably charge her for murder with motive if they see the text history between me and her.”

 

“I was not worried about her.” Daniel looks at him in the eyes and says. “I was worried about you.”

 

_Don’t fall for it._

_Don’t fall for it._

_Too fucking late._

Now, his heart hurts too.

 

* * *

  

Sungwoon gets off of the ambulance to find himself in front of the Seoul Nation University Hospital.

 

Well, shit.

 

Maybe he will get lucky but luck really is not his BFF tonight. But then again, it is a one in a hundred chance, right?

 

“You alright?” Daniel asks as Sungwoon just stares at the hospital entrance. Maybe _he_ is not even working here anymore, but that is a foolish hope. This is the only place that guy has ever wanted to work.

 

“Yeah, let’s go in.” Sungwoon says and follows the medic into the hospital.

 

They are directed to a waiting room after Sungwoon got an X-ray for his wrist. There is just a busy nurse and a couple of other people with varying forms of injuries in here, and no familiar sight of a dark-headed tall guy around, so Sungwoon relaxes a little.

 

One in a hundred chance.

 

“Sit here,” Daniel guides him towards a chair like Sungwoon is an invalid, and Sungwoon wants to complain but he is too distracted by his other thoughts to. “Do you want water?”

 

“I..” Sungwoon turns to face him but shuts his mouth at once, because fate really does love to kick him in the balls when he is off guard.

 

“You!” The familiar voice says from across the hallway and Sungwoon sighs, lifting his good hand up in greeting. “What have you gotten yourself into this time?”

 

“Hi, Minhyun.” Sungwoon says with a small awkward smile. “This really isn’t how I want to see you again.”

 

* * *

 

“Car accident?” Minhyun mutters as he motions Sungwoon to get onto the bed. “You don’t even have a car. Was it in a taxi or something?”

 

“I was teaching Chungha how to drive.” Sungwoon mumbles. He feels like he should ask for a different doctor/medical intern, but Minhyun offered and it’d be both awkward and rude to refuse.

 

“That explains.” Minhyun says with zero surprise and reads through the chart that the medic has sent along with them earlier. “Let’s see. Stitches, and a sprained wrist. You kind of got out of there lucky. What about Chungha?”

 

“She’s fine, apparently.” Sungwoon sighs. “It wasn’t a serious accident. I just wasn’t wearing my seat belt.”

 

Daniel snorts from next to him and Minhyun looks at Sungwoon like he is a complete idiot. Good thing Sungwoon is getting used to receiving these kinds of looks tonight.

 

“Let me see your head then,” Minhyun says and moves closer to Sungwoon’s temple which has been throbbing in a dull ache for a good while now. “4 stitches at most. It’d be quick.”

 

“I need the strongest anesthesia,” Sungwoon grabs at Minhyun’s hand and says in desperation, now that the panic has properly sunk in.

 

“It’s not that deep of a wound.” Minhyun says. “I’ll give you some dermal anesthesia cream.”

 

“But is it strong enough?” Sungwoon whines. “You know I can’t stand any kind of pain. Can you like, just give me anesthesia to knock me out or something?”

 

“That is unnecessary and I can’t do that as your doctor.” Minhyun replies, bringing over some kind of futuristic needle and other appliances, and Sungwoon curls into himself.

 

“You are a medical intern.” He points out anyway. “Are you sure you should be doing this?”

 

“Sungwoon,” Minhyun sighs. “I know you are panicking but trust me, ok? You are the least severe injury I have today. Please shut up so I can finish my job in 15 minutes and let you go.”

 

“Ok,” Sungwoon murmurs.

 

Daniel grabs at Sungwoon’s uninjured hand curled into a fist and holds it in his palm until Sungwoon curls it open and let him intertwine their fingers. If Minhyun sees that, he does a good job of ignoring it and not commenting a thing.

 

The numbing cream does work and Sungwoon can roughly feel the needle going in and out of his skin (which itself is incredibly gross), but it doesn’t exactly hurt and Minhyun keeps his promise, finishing up in no later than 15 minutes.

 

“Keep them dry for at least two days and then wash it with just water and maybe mild soap after that.” Minhyun says, writing something down on the paper. “And come back to remove them in two weeks.”

 

“Got it.” Sungwoon nods. He turns to smile at Daniel, thanking him silently for being here while Sungwoon is being a chicken. Daniel smiles back but does not let go of Sungwoon’s hand.

 

“And for your wrist,” Minhyun says, looking at the x-ray. “It’s just a sprain.”

 

“But it hurts.” Sungwoon whines. “A lot.”

 

“Because you have the pain tolerance level of a newborn.” Minhyun shakes his head. “I’ll get you a wrist cast and some painkillers. Here’s the total billing and care instructions.” He hands the sheet of paper he was writing onto to Sungwoon.

 

“You are charging me before I even got the wrist cast on?” Sungwoon groans.

 

“It’s for afterwards.” Minhyun laughs. “Just read through it first. I’ll go get your wrist cast. Hold on.”

 

“Ergh, I don’t even want to read through it.” Sungwoon scowls. He does not have the mental capacity to deal with this now too.

 

“Daniel, can you do me a favor?” Sungwoon says as Minhyun gets out of the small room.

 

“Yeah, what do you need?”

 

“Here,” Sungwoon gets his wallet out from his jean pocket and hands it to Daniel. “Can you help me settle the bill? Use my credit card, and don’t show me the receipt. I’ll look at it when I am confident that I won’t cry.”

 

Daniel shakes his head and laughs, but takes the wallet. “Yeah, ok.”

 

Sungwoon lets out a heavy sigh as Daniel also heads out to the front counter. Never in his life had he thought that he’d be with both Minhyun and Daniel in a cramped tiny room, and let’s be real, even if he did, the room won’t be smelling like bleach and anesthesia, and the bed will be a lot bigger.

 

Sungwoon blames his injuries for even thinking about his ex and his current crush in _that_ kind of scenario. Is it hot? Yes. But it is also disturbing.

 

The curtain door shifts and Minhyun comes in with a plastic bag containing Sungwoon’s wrist cast.

 

“Come sit on the chair,” Minhyun pats at the patient’s chair, so Sungwoon gets off of the bed and sits down in front of him.

 

“Where did your boyfriend go?” Minhyun asks.

 

So, he did notice.

 

“He is not my boyfriend.” Sungwoon says. He has been saying this phrase to a lot of people over the past few months, but with Minhyun, it comes out a little more sad than defensive.

 

Minhyun is silent and doesn’t ask further, busying himself with the cast instead.

 

“Put your elbow on the table and open your hand for me.” He finally says. Sungwoon whines a little in pain as he straightens out his injured wrist, but Minhyun is careful enough and gently put the cast on. “I gave you about two days worth of painkillers, but don’t take them too much. You can get the cast off in about a week.”

 

“Sure.” Sungwoon nods. “You are good at this.”

 

“Oh?” Minhyun smiles. “So, I am not just a _medical intern_ anymore?”

 

“I was panicking.” Sungwoon mumbles guiltily.

 

“It’s good to see you.” Minhyun says, and Sungwoon really does feel like he is being sincere. “I mean, obviously it could have been under better circumstances, but you know, I am glad I’m on duty tonight.”

 

“Yeah,” Sungwoon nods. “How have you been?”

 

“Good.” Minhyun shrugs. “Still here despite the multiple times I want to drop out.”

 

“You love this way too much to drop out.” Sungwoon reminds him.

 

“I guess.” Minhyun agrees. “You want to head out? We’re good here.”

 

“Sure,” Sungwoon says and reaches for his coat.

 

“Here,” Minhyun gets up and grabs his coat first before opening it so Sungwoon can slide his injured arm in easier.

 

“Thanks,” Sungwoon mutters as Minhyun walks behind him and Sungwoon gets a whiff of his cologne – a smell Sungwoon is all too familiar but somehow feel distant with at the same time.

 

“I am sorry.” He says to Minhyun. He had said the exact same words over a year back, repeating them through tears and anger and guilt. But Sungwoon felt like it hadn’t been enough. It would never be enough.

 

Minhyun stands still, like he understands what Sungwoon means by those words even without context.

 

“I think all the times you kept saying that back then were enough.” Minhyun finally replies.

 

“I am still sorry. I think I am always going to be.”

 

“Hyung,” Minhyun says, coming around to face him. Minhyun hasn’t called him _hyung_ in a long time. “Let’s put it past us, yeah? I think I did a pretty good job at that, and you seem like you did too.”

 

Sungwoon did, but that was before he is face to face with Minhyun again. Which is the reason why he never wants to run into Minhyun.

 

“You did what you thought was best for you. For us. I get that. I mean, it sucks, yeah, but I get it and I am over it. Mostly.”

 

“Ok,” Sungwoon nods. “Everything ok with your family, then?”

 

“Same old.” Minhyun shrugs, and Sungwoon distantly feels the numbing sadness he once felt whenever the topic of Minhyun’s family came up, but the sadness is more of a lingering memory than the puncturing pain it once was. Maybe he really has done a good job of putting it past him. “But, I told my sister. Just last month, actually.”

 

“Minhyun!” Sungwoon exclaims. “Dude, that is such a step up for you. How’d she take it?”

 

“She says she still need to process it, but at least, she wasn’t yelling in my face or telling my parents, so you know? Half win?”

 

“I am really proud of you.” Sungwoon says sincerely. “I am sorry. I don’t know you don’t want to hear it again, but I am sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

 

“I think it might have turned out to be better this way.” Minhyun replies. “I can at least do it at my own pace, you know.”

 

“I’ve never pushed you.” Sungwoon tells him, because he really never did. No matter how much he wanted to.

 

“I know that. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t feeling guilty the whole time I was with you, because I couldn’t be with you the way you deserves to be. I don’t want to sound like a jerk but you dumping me kind of lifted that weight off of me, you know.”

 

Minhyun always manages to see the silvering lining, no matter how slim it is, in every situation.

 

“You are always way too optimistic for your own good.” Sungwoon comments.

 

“And you are too pessimistic.” Minhyun retorts back quickly.

 

“Realistic,” Sungwoon reminds him, the same old back-and-forth that they always had before.

 

“If that’s what you think, yeah sure.” Minhyun shrugs. “But it was nice when we had each other to balance it out.”

 

“Yeah well,” Sungwoon scratches at his head awkwardly. “Now, I’ll just be a pessimistic asshole and you a regular sunshine I guess. Back to our natural habitat.”

 

“I guess,” Minhyun says before his brows furrow. “Why do you have blood on your coat?”

 

Sungwoon looks down at the spot where Minhyun is staring and saw a large blood stain on his left coat pocket. “Shit, I was trying to mop up the blood in the car earlier.”

 

“With your white coat?” Minhyun raises an eyebrow.

 

“I was in shock, ok? I just saw blood in Won Sik’s car and my instinctive reaction was to clean it up.”

 

“You crashed Won Sik hyung’s car?” Minhyun laughs. “Guess I’ll see you again when he gets his hands on you?”

 

“Ergh, don’t remind me.” Sungwoon groans.

 

“Hey, sorry.” Sungwoon turns to see Daniel coming in. “I just need you to sign here, hyung.” Daniel says, and hands Sungwoon a slip of paper.

 

“I could have done it but you know, don’t really feel like committing credit fraud tonight. I folded the bill so you won’t see the amount.”

 

Sungwoon snorts and signs on the dotted line. “Thank you.”

 

“Anytime,” Daniel says and smiles unsurely at Minhyun before going back out.

 

“He looks like a nice guy.” Minhyun comments.

 

“He’s a friend.”

 

“I didn’t say anything.” Minhyun says and pulls back the curtains so Sungwoon can step out. “I mean it about not taking too much painkillers. They are for like last resort if you can’t sleep or something like that.”

 

“I get it.” Sungwoon huffs. “You want me to suffer.”

 

Minhyun just laughs at him. “And read the after care instructions I gave carefully, both for your stitches and the cast.”

 

“Roger.” Sungwoon mock salutes him. “And thanks.”

 

“You are welcome.” Minhyun says. “I need to go see the next patient, but you take care.”

 

“I always do.” Sungwoon says and waves at him at Minhyun goes back inside and the nurse outside leads an old lady into the same room.

 

Sungwoon stares at the closed curtain, absolutely not thinking something cheesy like how those curtains feel like the closing curtains of a chapter in his life because that is some tumblr-emo shit and he is better than that.

 

“I brought you hot chocolate.” Sungwoon turns to see Daniel with a steaming plastic cup next to him. “From the vending machine. I don’t know if it actually tastes like chocolate though. It costs like 1000 won.”

 

“Thanks,” Sungwoon says and takes the cup from him. “Are those my painkillers?” He points at the small Ziploc bag Daniel has in his palm.

 

“Yeah, do you need to take one now?”

 

“Yep,” Sungwoon lies. It is not like he is gonna abuse them or something, ok? He’ll just take one now to numb the pain in his wrist and then go to sleep.

 

“Here,” Daniel pops one pill from the capsule and holds it in front of Sungwoon’s mouth, and Sungwoon wants to protest but he only has one usable hand which is already holding the hot chocolate cup so he has no choice but to open his mouth for Daniel to give him the pill, and drowns it with the hot chocolate.

 

It tastes nothing like chocolate.

 

“You want to wait inside?” Daniel says after Sungwoon drowns the entire hot liquid that is absolutely not hot chocolate. “I’ll go get a cab.”

 

Sungwoon shudders a little. “I was thinking of taking the night bus. There’s one that reaches right next to our apartment.”

 

He knows because Minhyun used to take it all the time.

 

“A car will be faster.” Daniel says.

 

“I know,” Sungwoon worries his lower lip. “Just, I don’t feel like being in a car right now.” He says in a rush because it is not something he wants to openly admit, because it will just make him look fragile.

 

“Oh, yeah sure.” Daniel says. “Bus then. Are you sure you are ok?”

 

“Yeah, dude.” Sungwoon sighs. “I don’t have like some kind of automobile PTSD, don’t worry. It’s just tonight.”

 

“Alright,” Daniel shrugs. “Let’s go then.”

 

“You should get a cab.” Sungwoon tells him. “I don’t think there is a bus to your place from here.”

 

Daniel blinks. “I am going with you.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because you are injured and I can’t send you off alone?”

 

“Jesus, it is not like I am dying.” Sungwoon complains. “And my legs work.”

 

“It’ll make me feel better?” Daniel says as he walks alongside Sungwoon, and Sungwoon sighs.

 

“Fine.”


	11. Daniel

For someone who is very persistent that he is fine, Sungwoon falls asleep right after they get onto the bus, head thrown back on the back rail. The doctor didn’t say Sungwoon could have a concussion or anything like that so Daniel just lets him be – it is probably the combination of the painkiller and the stress from the accident.

 

Instead, Daniel answers about the six texts (and three missing calls) from Chungha that Sungwoon is fine. Sungwoon probably wasn’t answering her texts because his phone is either off or he was too busy getting treated.

 

Getting treated by his ex-boyfriend.

  
Daniel does not know too much about Sungwoon’s love life. Chungha vaguely mentioned once that he was in a serious relationship a long time back, and Daniel did wonder what Sungwoon’s type be like because as far as he knows, Sungwoon hasn’t shown interest in anyone. Apparently, his type is tall, handsome and smart. A doctor, really? How is a guy gonna be compared to _that_?

 

Daniel can roughly conclude that they probably broke up because the doctor dude – Hwang Minhyun according to his signature on the treatment transcript – is probably still in the closet, and he wonders if that is why Sungwoon was so sensitive about Seongwoo and Chungha accidentally outing Daniel out of the closet.

 

Sungwoon’s head rolled down towards the window and Daniel hurries to catch him before his head hits the window on where the stitched wound is. Sungwoon makes a groaning noise low in his throat, but does not wake up. Daniel pulls Sungwoon towards him by the shoulder, and ends up settling Sungwoon’s head into the nape of his neck. Sungwoon’s soft hair tickles his skin, and honestly, someone who had just bled from the head and been in a hospital room for a good hour should not smell as good as this.

 

Daniel settles his arm across Sungwoon’s shoulder and uses his free hand to text his mum to ask about her chicken porridge recipe. It is just chicken and half boiled rice – it shouldn’t be that difficult. Hopefully. Mum does not respond immediately because she never does – she’s a slow texter, so Daniel just shoves his phone back into his pocket and uses his now-free hand to hold Sungwoon’s injured hand lying in his lap just in case it gets bent or something while he is sleeping.

 

They are about three blocks away from Sungwoon’s apartment when Sungwoon stirs next to Daniel, gradually waking up.

 

“Where are we?” Sungwoon mumbles, lifting his head up and peering out of the window.

 

“About two stops away,” Daniel says and puts his palm on Sungwoon’s forehead.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Checking your temperature.” Daniel answers.

 

“I don’t have a fever, idiot.” Sungwoon mumbles and shoves his hand away.

 

Daniel snorts. “You are still this loud in this condition?”

 

“I told you I am fine.” Sungwoon frowns. “Just drowsy. God, how strong was that pill?”

 

“With this traffic, it’ll take at least five minutes until we reach.” Daniel says and reaches over to hold his hand over the back of Sungwoon’s head. “You can sleep a little more.”

 

The middle-aged guy sitting in the front row – the one Daniel has been noticing because he kept glaring at them – coughs loudly. “ _Gross.”_

 

Sungwoon stiffens and Daniel’s hand drops.

 

“Did you say something?” Sungwoon suddenly says. “Sir?”

 

“Don’t.” Daniel puts a hand on Sungwoon’s chest, his panic momentarily shifting to the thoughts of Sungwoon fighting with someone twice his size when he is already in a cast and stitches. “It’s not worth it.”

 

Sungwoon looks like he wants to say something, but thankfully keeps his mouth shut and just glares out of the window.

 

The man probably didn’t think Sungwoon would be this reactive because he gets a little flustered, much to Daniel’s mirth. He also gets off of the bus at the next stop so Daniel gets a little relief, because yes sure, he can probably hold off Sungwoon if he really tries to get into a fight but who knows? Maybe Sungwoon’s claims about being a black belt are true.

 

Sungwoon is still sullen and silent when they get off the bus, a couple of minutes away from his apartment complex.

 

Daniel, in an attempt to cheer him up, reaches to wrap an arm around his shoulders, and says. “I asked my mum about her chicken porridge recipe, hyung. It’s like god-tier level. Trust me. I sometimes even fake being sick so she’d make me that. I mean, I probably won’t make it as good as hers, but even if it is like 40% as good, it’s still going to be delicious. I am gonna make it tomorrow morning and bring it for you.”

 

“Don’t,” Sungwoon says, curtly.

 

“I am a decent cook!” Daniel says, a little offended.

 

“No, you …” Sungwoon says and grabs a hold of Daniel’s hand over his shoulder to take it off. “You need to stop.”

 

“Stop what?” Daniel asks, dumbfounded.

 

“All this,” Sungwoon gestures wildly, all over Daniel. “All this holding hands and buying me food and taking care of me and acting like my fucking boyfriend.”

 

“Hyung…”

 

“It is tiring for me, ok?”

 

“If you are still worried about people thinking that we are dating…” Daniel says but Sungwoon cuts him off.

 

“Do you know why I broke up with my first boyfriend?”

 

“You mean that doctor?” Daniel asks. “Back at the hospital?”

 

Sungwoon looks genuinely surprised. “You knew?”

 

“I didn’t.” Daniel says hesitantly. “I overheard you two. I swear to god, I wasn’t eavesdropping or anything. Just, when I came back to get your signature for the bill, you two were talking and I didn’t know how to interrupt.”

 

Sungwoon pinches the bridge of his nose. “Yes, him. So, I assume you also know why we broke up.”

 

“Because he wasn’t out?” Daniel guesses. “I don’t get it. Why are you telling me this?”

 

“I didn’t break up with him because he wasn’t out. I broke up with him because it was a losing bet. He wasn’t ready for us to be a couple no matter how much he liked me, and I promised myself not to put myself through impossible relationships just because of feelings. I went through too much to get comfortable with myself. I don’t want additional pain from my relationships. And, that is why I need to stop being around you. Because it is getting harder and harder for me when you are never going to really like me back.”

 

Daniel stumbles back a little, Sungwoon’s words suddenly pushing at his chest like a gust of strong wind. “Do you… you like me?”

 

Sungwoon stares at him, lips pursed.

 

“Yes.”

 

Fuck.

 

“I know I am probably sounding like an asshole complaining about friendzone, but look dude, I need to do it for myself, ok? It’s fine that you don’t like me. I am not asking anything from you, but it is also so fucking difficult for me to be around you these days. So, I just … need a little distance, ok?

 

“I…” Daniel mutters. “I didn’t know.”

 

“Don’t worry about it.” Sungwoon shakes his head. “Look, thanks for tonight, alright? You are a good friend, and I am sorry I sprung onto you like this, but I broke my arm and Won Sik is probably waiting inside my house to kill me and I probably spent half of my savings on hospital bills and I ran into my ex who I managed to avoid for a good 18 months and also, that asshole on the bus, god, everything happened so much. I can’t deal with you on top of all those shit.”

 

Daniel really hasn’t been this speechless in a long while, so he manages to barely get out a word. Sungwoon just sighs, says good night and turns to leave. Daniel grabs at his hand, both unsure of what to do and desperate to do anything, so he just pulls Sungwoon in, lifts his face and kisses him.

 

Which, in hindsight, wasn’t the wisest idea, but it somehow makes sense in that split second.

 

Sungwoon goes still completely for a good few seconds, before pushing Daniel away, and now the uncomfortable look on his face is replaced by an angry one.

 

“I told you to stop acting so fucking clingy and the first thing you do is kiss me?” He nearly yells. “Are you just fucking with me right now?”

 

“I…” Daniel stutters. He cannot give a good explanation, but he simple does not have one. He has to know himself first as of why exactly he did _that,_ but he did not know. It just felt right in the moment. “I am sorry.”

 

“I don’t need your pity affection, Daniel.” Sungwoon spits and ok, even though Daniel might not know why he kissed Sungwoon, pity is absolutely not it.

 

He tries to deny, but Sungwoon raises a finger even before Daniel can open his mouth. “I am going in. Just go, Daniel.”

 

And then, he just leaves, almost running towards the lift of his apartment, and Daniel is just left here, in the midst of the cold night, with a strange confession, a rejected kiss and a thousands indecipherable feelings.


	12. Sungwoon

Won Sik is not waiting inside to kill Sungwoon – small miracle, but Chungha is sitting on the living room sofa, arms crossed and looking way too dignified for someone who just crashed a car two hours ago.

 

“I should have broke your arm sooner.” She says as soon as Sungwoon steps into the house and takes off his shoes.

 

“What are you talking about?” Sungwoon mumbles. His mind is still trying to process the fact that Daniel’s lips had been on his lips not ten minutes back. Sungwoon cannot even remember how they felt because he was too confused and angry and frustrated.

 

“I saw you smooching Daniel,” Chungha broke into a wide smile and says. “I was here half worried to death about you but you are out there kissing Kang Daniel. Way to go.”

 

“God,” the headache that has been creeping into him since he was on the bus is now full blown thumping away inside Sungwoon’s skull. “Shut the fuck up.”

 

“C’mon.” Chungha gets up from the sofa and jumps in front of him. “Does he kiss as good as he looks?”

 

“I said,” Sungwoon grits through his teeth. “Shut the fuck up. I am going to sleep.”

 

“What is your problem, dude?” Chungha shouts when Sungwoon tries to avoid her and goes into his bedroom, and grabs him by his good arm. “Cut the bullshit, ok? I didn’t want to say anything because I don’t want to push you, but you two were kissing! And I’ve seen the way you look at him. You obviously like the guy, so why are you being such an asshole?”

 

“You don’t know shit, Chungha.” Sungwoon says, tired. He feels like crying, and he doesn’t even know _why_.

 

“I know that you are probably still fucked up about Minhyun, and that’s why you won’t give in to your feelings even though Daniel is in love …”

 

“He does not like me!” Sungwoon yells. “That was the first thing he said when we first met. He says he doesn’t like me.”

 

“What the hell are you talking about?”

 

“He lied.” Sungwoon sighs and blinks rapidly. If he ends up crying in front of Chungha, he really is about to murder himself before the night ends. “He doesn’t like me.”

 

“Why would he lie about that?” Chungha frowns. “He has no reason to…”

 

“He likes you.” Sungwoon tells her. Yes, he knows he probably is betraying Daniel’s trust, but god, he is so fucking sick of this shit. “He likes you and he doesn’t want to get between you and Seongwoo so he said he liked me instead.”

 

Chungha’s mouth drops open and Sungwoon feels like he has just dropped a mountain that he has been carrying on his back. But instead of feeling relieved or remotely comforted, he just feels exhausted and spent and void. “So, please stop telling me how much he likes me and how much I like him and just let me go to fucking sleep.”

 

Chungha does not reply anything so Sungwoon just heads towards his room, and unlocks his room door.

 

“You like him though, don’t you?” Chungha says as Sungwoon gets his door opened. “I might not know him, but I know you.”

 

“Yeah,” Sungwoon half laughs, half cries. What is the point in lying anyway? He is way past just liking Kang Daniel. “I do.”

 

“I am sorry,” Chungha adds in.

 

“Yeah,” Sungwoon shrugs. “Me too, I guess.”

 

* * *

 

Sungwoon does not remember when he fell asleep. He just remembered feeling bad and embarrassed about confessing to Daniel (by yelling at him in his face) who didn’t really deserve it; other than being a lying idiot, Daniel didn’t really do anything wrong and it is not his fault Sungwoon disgustingly falls for him. But then his self-righteousness would kick in and Sungwoon is back to thinking he did the absolutely right thing because it probably takes some Olympian level restraint to not fall in love with Daniel when you are in that much of a close proximity with him and Sungwoon just dealt with it the best that he could. And in the middle of all the drowsy self-introspective reflections, Sungwoon must have fallen asleep because when he gets enough consciousness to open his eyes, sunlight is filtering through the window and he can hear the noisy traffic outside.

 

He reaches for his phone on his bedside table but then vaguely remembered that he left it in his coat pocket. It is probably dead now because Apple batteries are hopeless.

 

He plugs his very much dead phone into the charger and looks around for the plastic bag he distinctly remembered from last night – the one that had all his medicinal shit so that he can take a shower and change the dressing on his wound. The last time he saw it was … in Daniel’s hand. Shit. It is probably with him now.

 

Sungwoon sighs instead of just yelling out like he wants to because at this point, he is not even surprised at how much he can fuck up.

 

He drags himself outside his bedroom, barefoot, to see Chungha sitting cross-legged at the dining table, scrolling through her iPad.

 

“You are awake?” Chungha asks, immediately putting down her iPad and coming over. “How are you feeling? Does your head still hurt? What about your hand?”

 

“Don’t act weird.” Sungwoon mumbles. “I’m fine. Lend me your phone. Mine’s dead.”

 

“What for?” Chungha shoots back.

 

“I need to call Daniel. I left my medicine bag with him.”

 

“That one?” Chungha points to the clear plastic bag with the Seoul University Hospital logo on the front, lying on the counter top.

 

“Huh?” Sungwoon says, surprised. “Was I more out of it than I thought? I was pretty sure he was carrying it last night.”

 

“He was. I got it from him this morning.” Chungha says and goes back to her iPad.

 

“You met with him!?” Sungwoon says, life flashing before his eyes because nothing good could have come from this. “What did you do Chungha?”

 

“ _Talk_.” Chungha says and Sungwoon never knew a one-syllable word could sound this intimidating. “You don’t have to call him. Now or in the future. And this?” She says, gesturing her hand in a circle. “This house is now a Daniel-free zone. He is not allowed within 50 meters of you.”

 

“Chungha,” Sungwoon sighs and puts a hand on his forehead. “I shouldn’t have run my mouth last night.”

 

“No, you should have months ago. He has been lying to us all this time.” Chungha says, eyes flaring up.

 

“It is not that big of a deal!” Sungwoon argues. “Look, it was just a little white lie, alright? Didn’t really hurt anyone.”

 

“That wasn’t what you looked like last night.”

 

Sungwoon exhales. “Last night … was different, ok? I just had too much going on, but I am fine, really. I’ll get over it.”

 

“Good. He doesn’t deserve you anyway.”

 

“It is not like he was toying with me on purpose!” Sungwoon says.

 

“No, your heart is just an easy little bitch.”

 

Well, yeah. That about sums it up.

 

“Plus, it involves me.” Chungha continues. “He lied because he liked me when I was dating his best friend.”

 

“Jesus, did you tell him you know that as well?”

 

“Duh.”

 

Yeah, ok. RIP Kang Daniel. It was nice knowing you. “And what did he say?”

 

“He said it was a long time ago and that he doesn’t see me in that way anymore, but who knows? He’s a lying liar who lies. I left him to sort it out with Seongwoo.”

 

“You involved Seongwoo too!?” Sungwoon yelps, because the only way this could get any worse is for this whole debacle to go viral across campus, and great, now Sungwoon probably has spoken it into existence or something.

 

“I am not going to lie or hide something like this from my boyfriend.” Chungha replies, determined.

 

“You don’t know what it’d do to their friendship.”

 

“That’s up to them to decide.” Chungha says. “How much their friendship is worth to them.”

 

Sungwoon has seen friendship crumbles over things much less serious than love, and he is worried and guilt-ridden now that the weight of what he had done last night is now coming down crashing on him. He should probably talk to Daniel, but not right now. Not when Chungha is this hot-blooded and Sungwoon is feeling like there is three layers of dirt and blood on top of his skin.

 

“I am going to take a shower.” He says to Chungha instead, who just stares at him for a while before shrugging and going back to her iPad like nothing had happened. Sungwoon just shakes his head and heads for the shower.

 

It is so freaking difficult to wash your face without wetting your temple so Sungwoon ended up just using a washcloth on his face, which doesn’t make him feel squeaky clean, but whatever, it is good enough. He cannot wash his hair either so he just had to make do by running his wet fingers a couple of times through his hair. At least, it is easier to avoid his wrist from getting wet because they have a bathtub so he spent far too long sitting in it until the hot water turns cold in the tub.

 

“Taehyun got you some ox tail soup this morning. It’s in the fridge if you are hungry.” Chungha says when he comes out of the shower.

 

“Cool. I’ll eat it later.” Sungwoon says and rummages through his medicine bag to find the new dressings for his wounds, and read through the pictorial instructions, but unfortunately, all of those include two hands, which he is one short of right now.

 

Chungha grabs the packet of dressing out of his hand. “C’mon. I’ll change it for you.”

 

Sungwoon gives her an untrusting look, but then his only other option is doing it himself, and he trusts himself even less right now, so no choice, really. He sits down reluctantly on the dining chair so Chungha can hover over him and play doctor.

 

“You know,” Chungha says while Sungwoon whines from the sting of medical tape being ripped together with his facial hair. “Kang Daniel isn’t even all that, right? Sure, he’s hot but there are at least 50 people alone on this campus who are as hot if not hotter than him, and I bet some of them even have a better GPA than him.”

 

Sungwoon sighs. “It really is not his fault, Chungha. I mean, other than being a bad liar, he hasn’t really done anything wrong. Don’t be too mad at him. I mean, liking you is not that big of a crime, is it? And he really didn’t want to get in between you and Seongwoo. That’s the reason why he even lied in the first place.”

 

“I haven’t seen you like that since you broke up with Minhyun.” Chungha says. “Last night. I mean, Minhyun, I understand because that was an actual relationship, but you were as bad last night, and that honestly freaked me out.”

 

“I told you last night was different. I was under a lot of different stress. Fuck. I still need to call Won Sik.”

 

“I’ve already talked to him and told him I’d pay for all the repairs.” Chungha says. “He’s mostly just worried about you so just call him and tell him you are fine.”

 

“Ok,” Sungwoon nods. “You know that I love you right?”

 

“Gross,” Chungha wrinkles her nose and pats him on the head. “All done. You are gonna get the ugliest scar.”

 

Sungwoon rolls his eyes. “Well, good for you because now we’ll be on the same visual level.”

 

Chungha lets out the most unattractive chortle. “You wish, bitch.”


	13. Daniel

In all the years of knowing Seongwoo, he had punched Daniel in the face exactly two times.

 

The first was when they were 9 and taking up junior boxing lessons at their neighborhood gym. Daniel was spotting him and Seongwoo either underestimated the force behind his punch or overestimated Daniel’s reflexes because he punched Daniel straight on the cheek, knocking out an already loose tooth. He then cried harder than Daniel because he was sure Daniel would no longer want to be friends with him. Daniel wore that bruise like a war trophy even though no one in his class really believed that he got it from a street gang fight.

 

Second time was when they were 16 and Daniel kind of spiraled down after Minjun dumped him spectacularly. Daniel had paid twice the original amount to secure a vodka bottle from a senior student and got wasted in a park, refusing to answer calls from Seongwoo or his parents. Seongwoo found him anyway, about 3 in the morning and punched him in the face without a word and then pat his back while Daniel puked and cried and generally be a hot mess.

 

Daniel wonders if this is going to be the third time.

 

“I am sorry.” He says because what else is he going to say? Chungha has just left, after crashing into their place in early morning like some kind of firestorm and yelling at Daniel in the face about _how dare you do this to Sungwoon_ and about ten different variations of _you fucking liar._

 

Seongwoo lifts his head to look at Daniel, and Daniel thinks he’d prefer getting punched in the face because disappointment is even worse, and Seongwoo is not even his dad no matter how much he likes to pretend sometimes.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”

 

“That I had a crush on the girl you were about to ask out?” Daniel asks back. “Because that wouldn’t have been the most awkward conversation in the history of ever.”

 

“You do remember that I asked because I already had some hunches, right? I know you, Daniel.”

 

“And what would you have done if I answered _yes_ back then? Yes, I did like her but hyung, you were in love. That was the difference.”

 

“I’d have asked you to try your chance instead of pulling some shit like you did.”

 

“But, that’s the point.” Daniel sighs. “I was never going to try my chances. Yeah, sure. She’s pretty and nice and all that but I wasn’t really thinking about actually asking her out. It was just a crush, simple as that.”

 

“Or maybe you were holding yourself back because of me.”

 

“Maybe I was. Maybe I wasn’t. Who cares? I wasn’t heartbroken back then. I am not heartbroken now. And you two are disgustingly happy together now. All good and settled.”

 

“And Sungwoon?”

 

Daniel’s heart drops again, like it keeps doing every time he thinks about Sungwoon since last night. Sungwoon likes him. Despite Daniel being a fumbling idiot in front of him, Sungwoon likes him, and Daniel does not even know what he did to deserve that kind of attention from Sungwoon.

 

“I never meant to get things out of hands that far.” Daniel sighs. “I told him upfront what was going on because I didn’t want to mislead him, and I am not trying to shift the blame or whatever, but why does everyone keep trying to set us up together?”

 

“Because we thought you two would be good for each other.” Seongwoo says. “Look, I know you are kind of skittish about dating guys or just dating period since after Minjun so I wanted you to be in a good relationship with someone you like. And Chungha told me that Sungwoon likes you too so I thought why not. We were both confused when he kept refusing to go out with you.”

 

“When did Chungha say that?” Daniel asks. “That Sungwoon likes me.”

 

“I don’t know. When we first started dating.”

 

Shit. That has been since the beginning.

 

All this fucking time.

 

“How do I apologize to him?” Daniel asks desperately because while Seongwoo might be disappointed in Daniel, he is also the only helpful thing Daniel has right now. He can probably talk to Jisung about it and ask advice because he is closer to Sungwoon, but Jisung might actually punch Daniel if he knows what went down.

 

“I don’t know, dude.” Seongwoo sighs. “How would you even apologize without sounding like a smug asshole like _hey sorry you were in love with me while I was only pretending to like you_? And that is only if Chungha even lets you breathe in Sungwoon’s direction.”

 

“Fuck,” Daniel says, with feelings.

 

“Yeah, basically.” Seongwoo snorts.

 

“Are you still mad at me?” Daniel asks.

 

“I am not mad.” Seongwoo shrugs. “I don’t know, just a little frustrated, I guess. I wish you’d have just told me upfront. Do you think I was going to be some self sacrificing idiot and let you go out with Chungha?”

 

“No, you would have pushed me until I asked her out so she can make a choice, and I told you. I really didn’t want to.”

 

“I get it, man.” Seongwoo replies. “I still think it’s because you are still messed up about relationships, but I’ll let it go this time.”

 

“Very generous of you.” Daniel gives a small laugh.

 

“Just.. I don’t know, find a way to apologize or make up or whatever with Sungwoon. He’s basically just a bystander in all this shit. He doesn’t deserve it.”

 

“I know.” Daniel says. He knows, and that is what makes things worse.

 

* * *

 

They have the Ethics class today and Chungha comes in alone without Sungwoon. Sungwoon did get about a week’s worth of MC last night so that is expected.

 

Chungha goes to sit in the front row instead of the middle row that the four of them had been sitting together for months now, and Daniel nudges at Seongwoo. “Go sit with her.”

 

“Are you sure?” Seongwoo asks like he hasn’t been staring despondently at her ever since she walked in with a sullen look.

 

“Yeah, man. I can handle sitting alone in class for three hours.” Daniel says and Seongwoo nods before gathering his things up to go to Chungha.

 

Daniel just sighs. Chungha is probably just mad at him, no need to pull Seongwoo into this shit as well. So, Daniel just sits alone in class for the first time, listening to the buzzing drone that is Prof. Kim’s lecture. He does his best to follow along and take notes despite wanting to just close his eyes and gives into the sweet, sweet sleep because Sungwoon is not here to siphon notes from. Plus, he might even need the notes from Daniel since he is missing the class.

 

And that’s when an idea hits Daniel about what he can do for Sungwoon.

 

* * *

 

Jisung complains about how not-allowed this is, but he still lets Daniel talk him into pulling Sungwoon’s class schedule with his administrative password.

 

Jisung does coo about how cute it is that Daniel is trying to take notes for Sungwoon’s absent classes, and Daniel wants to correct him and tell him that he is just trying to make up to Sungwoon, but Chungha has threatened him this morning to never tell another soul about what happened between him and Sungwoon. _He doesn’t need any further humiliation,_ she had said. Not that Daniel is planning to anyway. All of Sungwoon’s friends might end up ostracizing him and that is basically the entire school.

 

Sungwoon only has about 5 classes per week, which is about 5 less than Daniel is expecting (and then he remembered that Sungwoon probably does have 5 more classes for his TA’ing and he started to get stressed just thinking about that kind of schedule). The 4 classes outside of Ethics class do not really overlap with any of Daniel’s classes except for some of his dance practice sessions, which he can easily move anyway.

 

And since today is Wednesday, Sungwoon is taking the World Politics class in the evening, and Daniel does not know how Sungwoon can take two classes named Business Ethics and World Politics in the span of 6 hours. He really must have the mental will of gods.

 

Daniel is heading towards the Social Science Building where the World Politics class is held when his phone rings. He blinks a couple of times, and a few more, just to make sure that he is not seeing things, and that it is indeed Sungwoon who is calling him.

 

“Hey,” Daniel says into the phone after almost missing to swipe the answer button.

 

“Hi,” Sungwoon says back.

 

“Erm,” Daniel says very smoothly. “How.. how are you?”

 

“I’m fine. Nothing really hurts anymore. Just annoying and inconvenient.”

 

“Sorry.”

 

“Yeah, well.” Sungwoon says dismissively. “Listen, I heard Chungha went to talk to you this morning.”

 

“ _Talk_ is one way to put it, I guess.” Daniel replies and Sungwoon sighs on the other end of the phone.

 

“I am sorry, dude. Things just got out of hands last night and I let it slip to her. I am really sorry.”

 

Daniel blinks.

 

Is Sungwoon apologizing? To him?

 

“Hyung, you have nothing to apologize for.”

 

“You told me your secret and I told it to the person you were hiding it from. Of course, I need to apologize.” Sungwoon says back. “Plus, I didn’t know what kind of damage Chungha did to you, but I feel like I should apologize for that as well.”

 

“I am still alive and my limbs are still attached to my body, thankfully.” Daniel replies.

 

“Are you ok?” Sungwoon asks. “You know, Seongwoo and all.”

 

“Oh,” Daniel replies. He didn’t think Sungwoon would be worried about him. _He likes you, you idiot. Of course, he’d worry about you._ A little voice in his head says, and Daniel knows it is his own inner monologue but he still gets floored every time he remembers that Sungwoon likes him.

 

“I am ok.” He finally replies. “Seongwoo hyung was a little mad. Actually, it was more of a disappointment or judgment, I guess, but we are ok. We talked it out.”

 

Sungwoon snorts. “I am surprised. I thought you two would be like the type to you know, punch each other instead of talking about feelings.”

 

“We didn’t talk about feelings.” Daniel rolls his eyes. “Plus, punching is the last resort when one of us is being an insufferable dick.”

 

“So … five days a week then?” Sungwoon asks, and Daniel laughs, as easy as it always is with Sungwoon.

 

“I just wanted to check in,” Sungwoon adds in after Daniel quiets down. “You know, make sure you don’t get killed by either of them.”

 

“Thank you,” Daniel smiles. “I am still alive.”

 

“Ok. I am sorry. Again. For running my mouth.”

 

“It wasn’t your burden to carry anyway. I started all this shit. I am sorry too.”

 

“About what?”

 

“You know,” Daniel says uncertainly. “Lying about you. And also, kissing you, I guess. Last night.”

 

Sungwoon goes silent for so long that Daniel is starting to think there is something wrong with the connection before he finally speaks up. “Let’s never talk about it.”

 

“Hyung,”

 

“Listen, I don’t know why you did it. Maybe you were just flustered or confused or whatever. Things were kind of all over the place last night so we both probably did things we didn’t mean to. So, let’s just forget about it, ok?”

 

“Yeah, ok.” Daniel takes the out that Sungwoon is giving him. Maybe Sungwoon is right. Daniel was just flustered or confused or whatever. The only reason he can come up with as to why he kissed Sungwoon is because he just wanted to, and that is a whole other universe of unknowns.

 

“Ok,” Sungwoon repeats. “I am glad Chungha didn’t kill you.”

 

“No, she just made a lot of very graphic threats.” Daniel says. “She also said she’d be getting a restraining order against me for you.”

 

Sungwoon snorts. “On what ground?”

 

“Emotional abuse.” Daniel repeats her exact words.

 

“She watches too much Law and Order.” Sungwoon says.

 

“But is that … is that something you want?” Daniel asks. “Not the restraining order, obviously. But last night, you said you needed some distance. Does that still stand?”

 

“I don’t know,” Sungwoon says, voice soft. “Maybe. Look, I am gonna be out of school for this week anyway. I’ll sort myself out. Don’t worry about it.”

 

“Ok,” Daniel says. He is not sure exactly what kind of sorting out Sungwoon is talking about but he really does not know what else he can offer. “Rest well, hyung.”

 

“Thanks,” Sungwoon mumbles before hanging up. Daniel stares at his phone before putting it back in his pocket and heading into Sungwoon’s World Politics class.

 

* * *

 

The week of Sungwoon’s supposed sorting-out-stuff is over and Daniel hasn’t heard from him. All he has is a pile of notes that he is almost sure are useless because Daniel doesn’t know what is going on in any of the class that Sungwoon has. All he has are good intentions and determination, neither of which unfortunately translates into usable study notes.

 

But Daniel does want to talk to Sungwoon and gives him the notes, kind of like an olive branch offer in chicken scrawls and messy highlighters. He cannot, however, just go to Sungwoon’s place because Chungha might actually set him on fire, and while he can get Seongwoo to help out with Chungha, there is still Taehyun and Na Young whose schedule he is not sure of, and it might be weird if he has to talk to Sungwoon with them around. He was just thinking about finding Sungwoon when he comes back to school, but then Daniel remembers that Sungwoon is taking his stitches out on Sunday 3 PM.

 

He goes down to the hospital around 3 and lurks around the reception area until Sungwoon comes out about 15 minutes later, head free of bandage and alone.

 

“Hey,” Daniel steps up in front of him from where he was sitting in the waiting chair, and says.

 

“Ah, shit.” Sungwoon jumps a little, hand going over on his heart. “You scared me. What are you doing here?”

 

“I just remembered you were taking out your stitches today.” Daniel says. “All good?”

 

“All clear.” Sungwoon points at his head. “At least now I can properly wash my hair.”

 

“I’ve got this,” Daniel hands him the notebook he has been writing notes in. “For you.”

 

“What is this?” Sungwoon takes the book before flipping through it gingerly.

 

“Notes for the class that you missed.”

 

“You don’t take any of these classes.” Sungwoon looks between him and the notebook pages and says. “Except for the Ethics class, but you never take any note in Ethics class anyway.”

 

“I wanted to do something for you,” Daniel says. “So, I went to your class and just take notes. I mean, I don’t really know what is going on so most of them are probably crap.”

 

“You do know that I have friends in all those classes whose notes I can easily copy from, right?” Sungwoon says slowly.

 

Daniel flushes. Yeah, Sungwoon is probably in some kind of an advanced study group with an average of 3.9 GPA.

 

“Never mind then,” he reaches out to take back the notebook, but Sungwoon keeps it out of his reach.

 

“It’s fine. I don’t need to go around asking for notes from people now. Thank you, but this is the exact kind of shit I was talking about before. Don’t do things like this, man.”

 

“I was just trying to be nice!” Daniel splutters.

 

“Well, don’t.” Sungwoon replies. “Just, be like a friend, ok? But not a _friend_ friend, more like a Facebook friend, you know what I mean?”

 

“No?” Daniel answers truthfully.

 

“It means don’t do things that make my heart flutters, shithead.” Sungwoon snaps, and then leaves, just like that.

 

What the hell.


	14. Sungwoon

Jihoon is at the café again, and Sungwoon normally would just go to Starbucks if he sees Jihoon at the counter (because he is non-confrontational, ok? Not scared), but he is still waking up in sweats at night from the amount of money he had to spent at the hospital so 6,000 won a cup coffee from Starbucks is kind of out of range for him now.

 

“Coffee.” He says to Jihoon. “Black.”

 

Jihoon just yells out his order to the barista and charges him without making much noise.

 

“I heard you were in an accident.” Jihoon says as he hands Sungwoon his change.

 

“Daniel talked to you?”

 

“No, I heard it from Jisung hyung.” Jihoon shrugs. This kid knows Jisung too? Poor Jisung. “You got any cool scar?”

 

Sungwoon points to his temple where there is a fading line of his wound.

 

“That’s like 2 inches. Lame.” Jihoon says and gives him his coffee.

 

“Yeah, thanks.” Sungwoon snorts. “Next time, I will disfigure my entire face so it can look cool to you.”

 

“Promises, promises.” Jihoon sings and turns to the customer behind him. Sungwoon just rolls his eyes and leaves, but then he spots Minhyun in line, right after the customer ordering right now.

 

“Minhyun?” Sungwoon blinks. “What are you doing here?”

 

“I was just passing by and I saw you.” Minhyun smiles. And that is ridiculous because the café is inside the campus ground and why would Minhyun be passing by a entirely different university campus. Sungwoon decides to drop it though. “You got your stitches out?”

 

Minhyun was not on duty when Sungwoon got his stitches out so another doctor took care of it.

 

“Yeah, all good.” Sungwoon says.

 

“Let me see.” Minhyun leans in and suddenly there are fingers fluttering across where Sungwoon’s scar is. “I can give you some cream for the scar.”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Sungwoon says and leans back, a little uncomfortable at the close proximity. “Were you heading somewhere or?”

 

“No, I am just walking around.” Minhyun says as the customer in front of them leaves and he moves towards the counter. “I am on leave actually. One Latte please.”

 

“We are out of latte.”

 

What.

 

“Really?” Minhyun mumbles, and Sungwoon turns to glare at Jihoon, who just gives him an insolent look. “That’s a shame. Can I get an Earl Grey then?”

 

“We are out of Earl Grey as well.” Jihoon shrugs. “We are out of hot water actually.”

 

“Ya, Park Jihoon.” Sungwoon says to him as Minhyun looks between them in confusion. “You know what, Minhyun. I’ll take you to the canteen instead, c’mon.”

 

“No, wait. We’ve got the water back on, it seems like.” Jihoon calls. “So, latte or Earl Grey?”

 

Minhyun blinks, still in confusion. “Erm, latte, I guess. And an egg sandwich, if you have it?”

 

“Eating here or to-go?”

 

“You wanna hang out for a while?” Minhyun asks and Sungwoon shrugs because why not. “Alright, we’ll have it here. Thank you.”

 

Jihoon punches in the order with the world’s most unfriendly customer service attitude and tell them he’ll bring over the food later. Sungwoon makes a face at him behind Minhyun’s back and Jihoon wrinkles his nose right back at him.

 

“You are on leave?” Sungwoon asks as Minhyun leads them to sit down in a corner table. “That’s quite rare, isn’t it?”

 

“Yeah, interns don’t usually get leaves, but I’ve been pulling a lot of OTs lately so I think the department head took pity on me.”

 

“How long are you off for?”

 

“Only three days including the weekend.”

 

“That is not exactly a vacation.” Sungwoon says.

 

“No, but I took what I can get.” Minhyun smiles.

 

“So, any plan? For you incredibly precious vacation?” Sungwoon asks.

 

“Just rest, I guess.” Minhyun says. “I’ve been just going around the city, you know, café hopping and what not.”

 

“This is kind of a shitty café to hop.” Sungwoon says and nudges at the wobbly table that they are sitting at to prove his points.

 

“Right.” Minhyun laughs. “To be honest, I wasn’t just passing by.”

 

“No shit,” Sungwoon mumbles.

 

“I haven’t been here for a long time, you know.” Minhyun says. “This campus. I kind of miss it. Don’t worry. I wasn’t stalking you or anything. Running into you really was a coincidence.”

 

“I didn’t say anything.” Sungwoon shrugs and drinks his coffee. Minhyun did spend a lot of time here on campus when they were together because obviously, Minhyun wasn’t out to anyone at his school so Sungwoon cannot just go over to the Med school campus for a date, plus Sungwoon has his own place and Minhyun does not, so it only made sense that they mostly just hanged out here.

 

“I’m kind of sad the bookstore next to the library closed down.” Minhyun says. “They used to sell cheap secondhand paperbacks, do you remember?”

 

“Not really. You are the book nerd.”

 

Minhyun shakes his head and laughs.

 

“Anyway, didn’t they open up this huge ass bookstore near your campus?” Sungwoon asks.

 

“Yeah, but they only sell brand new ones, and medical textbooks get more expensive with the years.” Minhyun shakes his head. “At least, I am now interning so I don’t need to worry about that until I get back next year.”

 

“Your food.” Sungwoon looks up to see Jihoon with an impassive face slamming down the food tray on the table. “Enjoy,” he says in a tone that makes it sounds like _choke on it._

 

“Does he have a problem with me or something?” Minhyun asks as Jihoon leaves, staring after him. “I don’t think I’ve ever even seen him before.”

 

“No, he’s just perpetually angry at the universe,” Sungwoon says. “Teenagers.”

 

“Ok,” Minhyun replies, unconvinced and prods into his sandwich. “You want a bite?”

 

“No, I’ve already eaten.” Sungwoon shakes his head.

 

Minhyun nods and opens his sandwich to squeeze ketchup inside. It is such a familiar sight that Sungwoon almost aches. Minhyun’s phone next to his coffee rings a couple of time from the incoming texts and it is not like Sungwoon is peeping but it is in his eyesight. It’s just someone asking him for dinner, with about four messages and in a tone that is both playful and flirty.

 

“Dinner date?” Sungwoon raises an eyebrow because he couldn’t help himself.

 

“Just a friend,” Minhyun says but he is smiling down at the texts and Sungwoon knows that smile. “He’s another intern.”

 

“He cute?”

 

Minhyun laughs. “A little. He’s nice.”

 

“I’m glad we are hanging out again, you know?” Sungwoon says, suddenly but truthfully. It is something he has never thought about because Sungwoon wasn’t sure he has the right to. But he is glad.

 

“Yeah, me too.” Minhyun smiles and bites into his sandwich.

 

* * *

 

Sungwoon heads to the library after he parts way with Minhyun because he is done with his classes for the day and just need to catch up on the last week’s classes that he missed. The weight of Daniel’s notebook in his bag kind of stays on his mind. Sungwoon had looked through it once and it just took one look to confirm that none of those notes are probably helpful for him, but god, he cannot believe Kang Daniel. He was probably just doing that to be nice but the thought of Daniel sneaking into Sungwoon’s classes just so he can take notes on subjects he is not taking for Sungwoon; it is not something Sungwoon wants to be feeling soft on because at the end of the day, that’s just another shackle on his ankle that is keeping him chained to Daniel.

 

Someone yanks at his shoulder from behind and Sungwoon freezes for a split second before instinct kicks in and Sungwoon is elbowing the person before body slamming them into the nearest wall.

 

“Ow, ow, ow. What the fuck.” Daniel yells and Sungwoon lets him go in shock.

 

“Daniel? What the fuck?” He repeats Daniel’s words as Daniel groans and rubs at his chest where Sungwoon had elbowed him. “Were you trying to mug me?”

 

“No, I had been calling you and you didn’t respond.” Daniel winces. “So, I just grabbed at you. Jesus, do you always beat up people who just wants to say hi?”

 

“Only if they sneak up behind me like a creep.” Sungwoon snorts.

 

“Are you really a black belt?” Daniel asks.

 

“Do you think I lied about that?” Sungwoon rolls his eyes.

 

“Yeah, well.” Daniel says. “I was going to ask how are you but seeing that you are already beating up people…”

 

“I barely even touched you.”

 

“Tell that to my solar plexus.” Daniel sulks. “Where are you heading?”

 

“Library.” Sungwoon shrugs and walks alongside him.

 

“Ah,” Daniel says. “I am going to dance practice.”

 

“I didn’t ask.”

 

Daniel just laughs. “Hey, I ran into that doctor just now. Your doctor. Are you two like back together or …”

 

Sungwoon stops in his tracks and turns to Daniel. “Ok. New rule. Don’t talk to me about my ex.”

 

“Since when do we have rules?” Daniel blinks at him.

 

“Since now.”

 

“Alright,” Daniel agrees easily. “So, the other day, was that a rule too? To not make your heart flutter.”

 

Sungwoon face heats up but he manages to grit out a curt “Yes.”

 

“Does that mean we are friends again?” Daniel asks.

 

“We stopped?”

 

“I don’t know. I hasn’t been sure where I stand with you for a while now.” Daniel replies. “I really want us to be friends, but it is up to you. Totally.”

 

Sungwoon sighs. He knows it is unfair for him to stop being friends with Daniel just because he cannot control his own damn emotions, but it is just so difficult at times, and Daniel does not really help. But Sungwoon looks up at Daniel and he can feel his resolution crumbling away. He is fucked either way.

 

“As long as you stick to the rules.”

 

“Gotcha,” Daniel nods, and puts an arm around Sungwoon’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

 

“Rule three,” Sungwoon takes Daniel’s hand off of his shoulder. “No touching.”


	15. Daniel

Chungha had invited Daniel over to her birthday party – the one that was delayed due to the accident. She says it is because she is trying to be a new and better person as a new year starts but whatever her reasoning is, Daniel is just glad she doesn’t seem to be that pissed at him anymore. He has been hanging out again with both Sungwoon and Chungha (and Seongwoo) and her death glares had been reduced approximately 60% over the past few weeks so that is a win in Daniel’s book.

 

He, however, has no idea what to get her for birthday present. Anything traditional he can think of, like, flowers or perfumes or jewelries just feel like tiptoeing into the romantic boundary and Daniel does not want there to be any kind of misunderstanding. Worst thing is he can’t even ask Seongwoo what to do because that’d just be awkwardness over awkwardness.

 

So, he goes to his last resort, Sungwoon.

 

“It’s just, I don’t want her to get the wrong idea, you know? I am really over her, have been for a long time. I don’t want to get something too personal but if I don’t get her anything, that’d be rude.”

 

Sungwoon rolls his eyes and puts down the pen that he has been chewing on like some kind of delicious lollipop.

 

“You really get worked up over the most useless things.” Sungwoon says and gets up from the library chair. “Wait here.”

 

“Where are you going?” Daniel asks after him, but Sungwoon pays him no attention and just walks out into the main area.

 

Daniel just frowns and plays around on Instagram until Sungwoon gets back about 10 minutes later with a big A3 sized birthday card.

 

“Here,” he pushed the birthday card in front of Daniel. “Everyone is writing her a birthday message here so you just write a standard _Happy birthday Chungha_ , and then find Sejeong later and tell her you want to chip in for the group present they are getting for her. I think they are buying her a new bag.”

 

“Thank you.” Daniel says sincerely and takes the card. “Thank you. Thank you. You are a life saver.”

 

“As always.” Sungwoon snorts and sits back down. “Leave after you are done. I need to finish grading these papers.”

 

“I was thinking of doing my readings here.” Daniel says.

 

“Well, new rule. Where are we at? 17?”

 

“18,” Daniel corrects him. “Rule 17 was yesterday when you told me not to laugh in front of you, ever.” These rules have been getting more and more ridiculous but it is not like Daniel is listening to them anyway. It is just a running joke between them at this point.

 

“18, whatever. You are not to show your face to me for more than ten minutes a day.”

 

“Why?” Daniel grins and shoves his face right in front of Sungwoon. “Am I too pretty for you?”

 

Sungwoon stares at him right in the eyes and at this distance, Daniel can see Sungwoon’s widen eyes more clearly. He can also see Sungwoon’s lips in distinct details, reddened from all the chewing he has been doing to his poor lower lip, and Daniel is reminded again that he has kissed them once. It is not one of Sungwoon’s outrageous rules, but both of them know that they are not going to talk about that one brief kiss. Daniel kind of wants to push now and ask Sungwoon if he remembers though. Remember how it felt like.

 

But then, Sungwoon is flicking him on the forehead with the pen and kicking at his chair, making disgruntled noises so Daniel cuts off his thoughts and hurriedly write a birthday message for Chungha before Sungwoon can inflict more damage.

 

* * *

 

Daniel spends the first half hour at Chungha’s birthday party trying to set up the sound system with Seongwoo and the next two hours badly losing at beer pong to Taehyun. He has briefly seen Chungha who is flying around the room from here to there with a wine glass that is being replenished constantly by Seongwoo. He had seen Sungwoon when he first reached as well, but Chungha had invited the whole goddamn school to her party so Daniel lost track of both of them in the sea of the crowd.

 

He is stuck with Na Young and Jisung, talking about the latest k-drama that he doesn’t watch (Na Young is doing a very good job at persuading him to watch though) in the relatively people-free corner of the kitchen when Chungha walks over, in her sparkly dress and an honest-to-god tiara.

 

“Hey,” Daniel calls to her. “Happy birthday.”

 

“Thanks,” Chungha shrugs and Daniel leaves Na Young and Jisung to keep talking about Lee Jong Suk so that he can go and talk to Chungha.

 

“Thanks for inviting me, you know.” He says, sincerely. “I am glad you are no longer mad at me.”

 

“Yeah, well,” Chungha shrugs. “I like Sungwoon more than I hate you.”

 

“Thanks?” Daniel says.

 

“I still don’t want you around him.” Chungha says, reaching for the new wine bottle from the overhead shelf and stabbing a wine opener violently into the cork.

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Daniel stiffens.

 

“You are not good for him and you being around him will only make him feel worse,” Chungha says tersely.

 

“That is not your decision to make.” Daniel says, gripping hard at his beer bottle.

 

“I know that. Why do you think you are here?” Chungha laughs and pulls out the cork. “But among you, me and Sungwoon, one of us has to actually care about what Sungwoon feels.”

 

Daniel slums the bottle in his hand onto the counter, and stares after her as she finishes speaking her piece like it is no big deal and walks out. Daniel cares about Sungwoon, no matter what Chungha thinks, and he is only around Sungwoon because Sungwoon lets him. If Sungwoon is uncomfortable around him, he’d have let Daniel know because Sungwoon is just that kind of person, and Daniel would have listened.

 

Speaking of the devil, Daniel can see Sungwoon among the crowd, heading towards his bedroom. He announced when the party started that his bedroom is off limit, and even cross taped the police tape he had secured from somewhere across his room door, and now he is ducking underneath said tape to go into his room. Daniel goes after him, pushing through the crowd and opens the thankfully unlocked door to duck inside.

 

Sungwoon turns around, half naked and t-shirt stuck around his neck. Daniel can see his shirt is soaking wet, and remembered that he was attempting to do a beer chug competition earlier.

 

“I said my room is off limit.” Sungwoon rolls his eyes and takes off his shirt before reaching for a new one from his wardrobe.

 

“I thought that was only for, you know, guests.”

 

Sungwoon gives him a look. “And who are you? My landlord?”

 

“Are you uncomfortable with me?” Daniel skips the quips and asks directly. “Me being around you?”

 

“Where is this even coming from?” Sungwoon says and slips into the new shirt.

 

“Chungha says,” Daniel exhales, not sure what point he is even trying to prove here. “Chungha says me being around will only make you feel worse.”

 

Sungwoon’s face hardens. “Chungha says a lot of shit.”

 

“But was she wrong?” Daniel asks. “Do you still like me, hyung?”

 

“Don’t ask useless questions, Daniel.” Sungwoon says and shoulders his way past him. “I meant what I said about this room being off limit.”

 

Daniel does not budge and grabs at Sungwoon’s wrist. “Why?”

 

“Why what?”

 

“Why do you even like me? I mean, I know I look quite ok, I guess, but you are so much smarter than me, and you are friends with everyone and you are _out_ , and god, you dated a doctor for Christ’s sake. Why me?”

 

Sungwoon stares at him. “What did your douchebag ex do to you?”

 

“What?”

 

“He must have really done a number on you for you to be asking a question like this. I thought you said you knew. That whatever he did was on him and not on you.”

 

“This has nothing to do with my ex.” Daniel retorts.

 

“Is it though?” Sungwoon laughs and pulls his wrist free. “You keep saying you are fine, but are you really? You never actually dated anyone even though there were plenty of chances. You turn away at the first sigh of someone being interested in you, and now you are giving me this low self-esteem bullshit?

 

“Shut up,” Daniel clenches his fists. It is not true. Minjun is in the past, and he absolutely does not have that kind of hold on Daniel, no matter what Sungwoon thinks, because Sungwoon does not know shit. “What about you then? Why didn’t you ask me out? Huh? Chungha said you’ve liked me even before she started going out with Seongwoo, so you have plenty of chances as well. Why didn’t you make a move?”

 

“Don’t put that shit on me.” Sungwoon’s eyes flared up.

 

“You keep bringing my ex up but what about you and Hwang Minhyun? You looked like you were about to break that night, and then you kept on going out on cute little dates with him even though you are supposed to be over him.”

 

_Jihoon had sent him the messages, a couple of weeks back. The first one has a picture attached – one of Sungwoon and Minhyun sitting together and smiling at each other with a message that says ‘Is he the reason Ha Sungwoon is not dating you?’_

_Daniel just kind of blanked out a little at the message because he thought Sungwoon is over and done with his ex, but clearly not because he was at their campus, laughing with Sungwoon._

_‘He’s an 8 and you are an 8.5, but only because you bought me chicken last week’_

_Daniel did not reply, but Jihoon sends a follow up message again. ‘OMG. He’s a doctor??? Sorry, Mr. 8.5. That makes him a 9. Doctor coats are hot.”_

_Daniel blocked Jihoon after that (for a good four hours before Jihoon found and threatened him), and went off to find Sungwoon. He wanted to ask what he is doing with Minhyun, if they are back together, but he chickened out because Sungwoon barely even wants to be friends with him at that point, and Daniel didn’t want to push the boundaries more than he had to._

_But that doesn’t mean it hadn’t been on his mind all along._

 

“What I do with Minhyun is not your business,” Sungwoon is yelling at him. “You have no fucking right to come here and …”

  
Daniel shuts him up with a kiss. It is not soft or hesitant, filled instead with all the confusion and frustration and _feelings_ that are swirling around inside Daniel, and even through the beer-tangy taste of Sungwoon’s lips, Daniel is thinking that within two seconds, he is going to be flat on the ground after Sungwoon knocked him out.

 

But that doesn’t happen, and instead, Sungwoon is gripping at Daniel’s jacket like Daniel is the only thing holding him up, and moving his lips in a way that makes Daniel wants to simultaneously die and live. Daniel moves his hands from Sungwoon’s jaws to around his waist, just so he can pull Sungwoon in closer because he needs him right here, with Daniel, so close until both of them cannot breathe, and Sungwoon comes easily, his little pants of breath punctuating every second of the kiss.

 

Daniel’s knees eventually gives in and then, he is suddenly on Sungwoon’s bed with Sungwoon on top of him and looking down at Daniel like he is the first face Sungwoon has ever seen and then they are kissing again, bites and licks and breaths mingled and Daniel forgets how to keep thinking.

 

At one point, Sungwoon gets up to lock the room door and Daniel gets up to take off his jacket and belt and none of them speaks a word. Daniel does not know if it is the same for Sungwoon but he cannot speak because this feels like a dream and if he speaks, it might burst the bubble that they are both in right now and Daniel just wants to keep being within this bubble, with Sungwoon under him, moaning at every single touch from Daniel and muttering Daniel’s name like it is something hallowed. Daniel has never liked his name that much until he has heard Sungwoon breathed it out through his marked lips.

 

Sungwoon lets him – lets Daniel kiss, bite down onto his neck, lick a string along his chest, and shove his hand inside his underwear, and Daniel takes it with gratitude, bringing Sungwoon to the end with his hand, kissing him so Sungwoon can suck down on his tongue when he comes, and Sungwoon does, hands gripping Daniel’s shoulder and eyes closed shut and Daniel thinks he can possibly lose himself forever in this image.

  

* * *

  

It is close to 4 AM when Daniel wakes up, a naked Sungwoon on his chest snoring softly and every part of him sticky from both sweat and other things. Daniel gently pulls Sungwoon off, until he is sleeping on the pillow instead and gets up to get dressed, autopilot mode on.

 

He looks back at Sungwoon’s face, barely visible through the dim street light filtering through the window and wishes he doesn’t feel like Sungwoon deserves much better than him.

 

There are a couple of people crashed in the living room, including Seongwoo and Chungha who are asleep holding hands; it is so disgustingly adorable and Daniel wonders why he cannot let himself be that much in love.

 

“If you leave now,” Chungha says when Daniel’s hand reaches for the front door. Daniel pauses. He doesn’t even know that she is awake. He also does not know how much she knows about him and Sungwoon, but she has always been the sharpest one around. “.. don’t ever come back.”

 

It does not sound like the threats she usually make. It sounds more like a tired resignation.

 

Daniel left.


	16. Daniel

Dawn is barely breaking when Daniel reaches his place. He dives onto his bed, plugs his dying phone in and claps a hand across his eyes. He is so tired, but he cannot sleep because there are just too many thoughts running through his brain like wild horses and every time he closes his eyes, he has images and sounds and lips flashing across his closed eyes.

 

He sighs and takes his phone, opening Instagram for some goddamn distraction – maybe watch a cat video or something.

 

But he ended up on Minjun’s instagram profile, and Seongwoo would be disappointed in him, but Daniel had known his profile for a while. They went to the same high school after all. It took only about four degrees of separation for Daniel to find him. He does not exactly know why he tried to find him. Maybe he just wanted to know if Minjun is living a good life after leaving Daniel in the dust.

 

Daniel, to his dismay, found that he was. He still is. He is dating an Instagram model, and posing with cars and watches that probably are not his, and posting photos of him flexing in the mirror every two days. All in all, he is your regular Instagram douchebag and Daniel does not know if Minjun is really happy outside of this app, but one thing is for sure. Daniel does not mean shit to his life.

 

So, why is Daniel here, feeling like this?

 

Sungwoon said that whatever shit Minjun had done is on him, and not on Daniel. And Daniel does get that. Logically. But at the same time, he felt like maybe it is him because there has to be something wrong with him from the start to fall for someone like Minjun. It took exhaustingly long for him to even get over Minjun after fully knowing what kind of a dickhead he is and that he had never really liked or even cared about Daniel. Maybe there really is something wrong with his heart.

 

And if his heart is making a wrong choice right now, Daniel is not sure if he has the strength to go through all of that again. He barely made it out alive the first time.

 

_Are you ok?_ Sungwoon sent a text and Daniel stares at the notification until it disappears.

 

_I am sorry._ He sends again, although Daniel is pretty sure he has nothing to be sorry for.

 

Minjun had never once asked him if Daniel is ok. Or told Daniel that he is sorry. Not when they were ‘dating’, not when they were having sex, most of which is just Daniel blowing him in the dark corner of the boys’ locker, not when he said _do you think I am gay, you fucking homo,_ and not when he threatened to out Daniel to the whole school unless Daniel stopped clinging to him like a little chick.

 

It is a fucking disservice to Sungwoon to even think about him in the same line of Minjun, and Daniel hates himself for even going there.

 

Sungwoon is kind and honest and frighteningly straightforward at times but never cruel, and he is nothing like Minjun, and maybe if he can like Daniel, Daniel’s heart is not as worthless as he thought after all.

 

* * *

 

Daniel knows Sungwoon has a morning class today because he had sat in the same class three weeks ago, attempting to jot down legible notes while drowning in coffee. If it were Daniel, he would have just skipped the class (as a matter of fact, Daniel is planning on skipping his afternoon class anyway), but Sungwoon is Sungwoon and he wouldn’t let anything less serious than a broken wrist and a busted head to skip class.

 

And as expected, Sungwoon comes out of his apartment, bundled in a coat, face swollen and gloomy. It does soften a little when he sees Daniel leaning on the wall just outside of his door.

 

“Hi,” Daniel says and Sungwoon just looks at him wordlessly.

 

“You left,” he says, eventually.

 

“I am sorry.” Daniel says, and stands in front of Sungwoon. He wonders if he will still see the marks he left on Sungwoon’s neck if he takes off the scarf Sungwoon is wearing.

 

“Are you ok?” Sungwoon asks, and Daniel kind of wants to crumble in front of him.

 

“I am scared.” He admits. “I am so much more scared than I thought I was. Hyung, what do I do?”

 

Sungwoon reaches for him and Daniel goes easily, burrowing his head into Sungwoon’s hair.

 

“Me too,” Sungwoon says into his chest. “You weren’t there and it fucking sucked, and that was what I was afraid of.”

 

“I am sorry.” Daniel says. “I am an idiot.”

 

“You are.” Sungwoon nods. “The biggest idiot on this side of town. But I like you anyway.”

 

“Me too.” Daniel admits, and it sounds shaky even to his own ears. “I am sorry it took me this long, but I like you, too.”

 

“Don’t leave again,” Sungwoon says. “No matter how scared you are. I’ll be there so just don’t leave again.”

 

“Ok,” Daniel nods, and pulls Sungwoon tighter into him. “I won’t.”

 

Daniel won’t.

 

* * *

  

In hindsight, Daniel should not have asked advice from Seongwoo about dates.

 

It is just that he had promised to take Sungwoon out on a date, and then panicked because he has no idea what a date consists of. Daniel had been in all but one catastrophic relationship, and most of it was spent on rushed and unrefined sex and a few hang outs on the school’s roof top when Minjun felt like skipping classes.

 

Seongwoo suggested flowers, and wine and dine.

 

Sungwoon does not even like wine.

 

But, still, Daniel booked a mid-scale restaurant for two and bought a bouquet of daisies because the salesgirl at the flower shop told him it represents new beginnings and Daniel cannot think of anything more fitting, and is in front of Sungwoon’s evening class, waiting for it to be over.

 

Sungwoon comes out with Sejeong and a few other people and Daniel immediately puts his hand holding the flowers behind his back because he is not that comfortable with public affection yet and he just somehow knows that Sungwoon won’t appreciate being given flowers in front of his friends.

 

“Hey,” Sungwoon’s face brightens up when he sees Daniel, and it feels like a revelation every time that Sungwoon actually and really likes Daniel that much. “Did you wait long?”

 

“No,” Daniel smiles back. “A couple of minutes, at most.”

 

Sejeong comes over along with Sungwoon, smile equally wide. “I am glad Sungwoon finally gives in and likes you back.”

 

“Yeah hahaha,” Daniel says lifelessly. “Me too.”

 

Sungwoon gives him a subtle glare, but does not say anything contradictory.

 

“Anyway, enjoy your date, guys.” Sejeong says, patting Sungwoon on the arm and taking her leave.

 

“How long do I have to suffer through the Sungwoon-grew-a-heart-and-liked-Daniel-back comments?” Sungwoon mumbles, and Daniel rubs at his shoulder in consolation. They had both decided that that is a far easier story to tell people than going through their unnecessarily complicated road to revelation.

 

Sungwoon just shakes his head and smiles up at Daniel. “Let’s …” His _go_ was accompanied by a very loud and violent sneeze, and Daniel does not even finish saying ‘Bless you’ before he sneezed about three more times in succession.

 

“Are you alright?” Daniel asks, concerned, and reaches for Sungwoon’s hands. “Are you sick?”

 

“Are those Daisies?” Sungwoon visibly recoils at the sight of the bouquet in Daniel’s hand.

 

“Yeah, I got them for you.”

 

“Dude,” Sungwoon yells and sneezes again. “I have pollen allergy!”

 

What.

 

“I didn’t know!” Daniel says, looking down at the killer weapon in his hands, not knowing what to do while Sungwoon immediately steps back further. “What do I do?”

 

“Take them somewhere away, you moron!” Sungwoon yells, sneezing again.

 

“There is no trash can here.” Daniel looks around hastily, wondering if he should just throw them across the road or something.

 

“Ooh, flowers?” Daniel turns around to see Jihoon smirking and walking towards them.

 

“Oh my god, Jihoon, thank you.” Daniel rushes towards him and pushes the bouquet into his chest. “Take these and go.”

 

Jihoon raises an eyebrow. “You are giving me flowers in front of your boyfriend?”

 

“Take those and go!” Sungwoon chokes out.

 

“Fine. Jeez.” Jihoon rolls his eyes. “I can give them to Woojin.”

 

“You are going to give Woojin flowers?” Daniel gets distracted by the preposterousness of the idea that is Park Jihoon giving Park Woojin flowers, and asks while Sungwoon makes grumbling noises in the background.

 

“No, are you crazy?” Jihoon furrows his eyebrows. “I am gonna rip off all the petals and throw them across his bed so he’d have to clean it up.”

 

“Please go do that now,” Sungwoon says.

 

“Ok, weirdos.” Jihoon mutters and leaves, along with the murderous plants.

 

“Are you ok?” Daniel rushes forward Sungwoon but Sungwoon just steps away further. “Go wash your pollinated hands before you touch me.”

 

Daniel stares down at said hands sadly and nods, before leaving to go find a washroom where he can wash his hands.

 

* * *

 

“I am sorry I almost killed you before we can even go on our first date.” Daniel says in sincerity. Sungwoon has calmed down enough, his face no longer red and his nose no longer runny, and he is finally letting Daniel hold his hand.

 

Sungwoon sighs. “That’s alright. I should have told you I am allergic to pollen, but dude, I never even imagined that you’d get me _flowers_.”

 

“I wanted to do something nice,” Daniel mumbles.

 

“You are nice enough,” Sungwoon says. “But still. How about you let me choose the restaurant now? To make up for almost killing me.”

 

“Yeah, ok.” Daniel shrugs. “Do you have any place in mind?”

 

“Oh, yeah.” Sungwoon grins.

 

* * *

 

Daniel looks up at the blinking neon light that says ‘Wang Burgers’ in distaste.

 

“Really?” He turns to Sungwoon and asks. “You want to have our date here?”

 

“What?” Sungwoon shrugs. “Our first date was here anyway. I don’t see the point in going to expensive restaurants that serve microscopic portion of food. Plus, it is Tuesday. Two for one deal.”

 

Daniel just sighs and follows Sungwoon into the restaurant. So far, this date has not been going the way he had planned to.

 

“Won Sik is not here?” Daniel asks as Sungwoon leads them to an empty table. He only sees two female wait staffs, and no Won Sik in sight.

 

“No, he is off this week.” Sungwoon says and flags down a waitress. “Do you think I’d bring us here if Won Sik is around? How much do you think I hate myself?”

 

“Figure.” Daniel snorts.

 

“Can we get the two for one burger set, please?” Sungwoon doesn’t pay him any more attention and just says to the arriving waitress. “Coke for the both of us.”

 

“I am sorry sir. We’ve stopped the two for one burger deal since last week.” The waitress replies monotonously.

 

“Nooo,” Sungwoon whimpers, and the despondent expression on his face alone is enough to make Daniel laughs out loud.

 

“So, should I just get you two regular sets or?” The waitress asks, in a bored tone.

 

“Yes, please.” Daniel cuts in and replies while Sungwoon is probably still processing and moaning over his tragic loss.

 

“Won Sik didn’t even tell me.” Sungwoon mutters. “How could he?”

 

“Quit being dramatic,” Daniel holds his hand over the nape of Sungwoon’s neck and says. “You’ll live even if you have to pay just 15,000 won more.”

 

“This is an end of an era, Daniel.” Sungwoon says very seriously.

 

“Whatever you say, babe.” Daniel replies.

 

Sungwoon’s eyes land onto Daniel’s face before he looks away, half flushed. “Don’t call me babe.”

 

Daniel is pretty sure he means the other way around.

 

Their burger sets arrive pretty fast, one advantage of being in fast food chain and Sungwoon laments a little more on the loss of his beloved promotion before digging into his burger.

 

“Wait,” Daniel grabs at Sungwoon’s hand before he can take a bite.

 

“What?” Sungwoon blinks.

 

“Give me a sec,” Daniel says and takes his burger so he can take out the pickles before giving it back to Sungwoon.

 

“You are so good to me.” Sungwoon says and Daniel would normally takes it as sarcasm, but Sungwoon’s voice is quiet and his ears are flushed red, and really?

 

“Because I picked out pickles from your burger?” He asks just to make sure.

 

“Because you remember.” Sungwoon replies.

 

“You have such low standards, you know.” Daniel snorts.

 

Sungwoon glares at him. “Shut up and take your compliment.”

 

Daniel laughs. “Alright, babe.”

 

Sungwoon does not protest this time.


	17. Sungwoon

“How did it go?” Daniel asks, and Sungwoon does the thing he has been wanting to do since this morning which is just shoving his face into Daniel’s chest and groaning very loudly.

 

“I fucked up a few questions, but whatever. It is over. I don’t care.”

 

Daniel rubs at his back. “Lies. If you don’t get this job after that many rounds of interview, you’ll probably set the Samsung headquarter on fire and I am gonna have to bail you out.”

 

He is probably right. “Nobody needs 7 rounds of interviews for a job, Daniel.” Sungwoon complains anyway and steals Daniel’s coffee.

 

“They’ll have to be idiots to not hire you.” Daniel says, and he is just being a good boyfriend, but it does help calming Sungwoon down a little. At least, this truly was the final round of interviews, so Sungwoon can spend his night sleeping or having sex with said boyfriend instead of filling himself up to brim with caffeine and preparing.  

 

“Let me just finish up this report,” Daniel says and turns back to his laptop. “Then we can go for dinner and you can tell me all about how all the interviewers are dicks.”

 

“They are dicks,” Sungwoon sulks.

 

“They are your possible future bosses.”

 

“Still dicks.” Sungwoon says in determination.

 

Daniel laughs, and Sungwoon just lays his head down on the table, getting some shut eyes.

 

“Hey, you know how Taehyun hyung is moving out next month?” Daniel says out of the blue and Sungwoon opens an eye to look at him.

 

“No, I don’t know how my own housemate is moving out.” He says and Daniel gives him the look that says he is just being unnecessarily snappy. Sungwoon sighs. “Yes, I know. Why are you talking about it suddenly?”

 

“Our lease is expiring and Seongwoo hyung says he’s thinking of moving in in place of Taehyun hyung.”

 

“He is moving in with Chungha?” Sungwoon wrinkles his nose. “Already?”

 

“She is meeting his parents next month.” Daniel reminds him. “And they’ve dating for what, two years something now.”

 

“I am gonna have to live with them?” Sungwoon says in horror.

 

“So, I was thinking, you know,” Daniel says, in a tone that suggests that he is acting casual just to mask how serious he actually is. “Maybe you can move in, takes Seongwoo’s place.”

 

Sungwoon lifts his head and stares at Daniel, trying to process if he is hearing what he thinks he is hearing.

 

“Are you asking me to move in with you?”

 

“I mean, if you do get a job at Samsung, my current place is closer to your office.” Daniel shrugs.

 

“I…” Sungwoon starts, at a loss for words. He knows that he spent half of his time at Daniel’s and Seongwoo spent half of his times at Sungwoon’s, but this is making things official and taking things a step further. To be frank, he is actually shocked that Daniel is the one suggesting to take that step. “Can I think about it?”

 

“Of course,” Daniel smiles. “I am just suggesting.”

 

* * *

 

“No, you can’t move out.”

 

“Erm. Why the fuck not?”

 

Chungha pouts. “The rent is cheaper here and moving out is a hassle.”

 

“The rent is barely 10% more at Daniel’s place and if moving out is a hassle, why are you asking Seongwoo to move out from his place?”

 

“But I don’t want you to.” Chungha whines. “First Taehyun, and now you?”

 

“Are you feeling sad that we are leaving you?” Sungwoon laughs.

 

“Don’t be stupid.” Chungha snaps. “If you move out, it’d just be me, Seongwoo and Na Young so the rent will be split three ways instead of four.”

 

“Ask Na Young’s boyfriend to move in.” Sungwoon shrugs.

 

“She started seeing him three months ago.” Chungha reminds him.

 

“I’d eventually have to move out anyway.” Sungwoon says. “I’m graduating soon and it only make sense to move closer to wherever my workplace is. I mean, this place is close our campus, but far from literally everything else.”

 

Chungha sighs. “So, you’ve already decided? Even though you told Daniel you are still thinking about it?”

 

“I thought about it.” Sungwoon shrugs. “For a whole of ten minutes.”

 

“Argh, you are so whipped it is gross.” Chungha says and Sungwoon does not even think about denying it.

 

His phone pings and Sungwoon looks down to see a text from Daniel. _FYI, our landlord is a very chill dude so he is cool with the tenants decorating however they like. I am talking shelves on the walls and bathroom remodeling._

Oh, Daniel does know the way to Sungwoon’s heart.

 

 _Sold._ Sungwoon replies back. _But only because of the shelves._

_I heard your new roommate is very handsome and amazing too <3 _Daniel responds.

 

 _Nothing compares to the shelves <3 _ Sungwoon types back.

 

Daniel sends him back the middle finger emoji.

 

“So, this is where we start with the whole growing up thing?” Chungha asks and Sungwoon looks up from his phone. “Going our own way?”

 

“I am gonna be in your way until one of us dies.”

 

Chungha smirks. “You said we were going to die together after seducing and robbing rich old men and running from the police in a high speed car chase. Remember?”

 

Sungwoon laughs. He did say that, when he first met Chungha all the way back in freshmen year and when he was kind of super into Thelma and Louise.

 

“Yeah, that would kinda break Seongwoo’s and Daniel’s hearts, don’t you think?”

 

“Our epic death plans foiled by two idiots.” Chungha laughs. “Too bad, huh?”

 

“Yeah,” Sungwoon agrees. “Too bad.”

 

* * *

 

“This would fit more into your Scandinavian theme if you just paint the walls white.” Ha Won is saying. “It’d look more airy as well.”

 

“We are not painting anything!” Daniel yells from the kitchen. Sungwoon rolls his eyes. They’ll see.

 

“All glass windows instead of these steel grids, I am just saying.” Ha Won continues, but in a lower tone.

 

“Don’t you all have a family dinner to head to instead of being here and keep enabling my boyfriend?” Daniel comes out from the kitchen where he and Seongwoo has been assembling the dryer that Sungwoon brought over.

 

“Ergh, stop reminding me.” Chungha yells from the sofa, where she is quote-unquote helping by going through Daniel’s collection of Blu-Rays and making very loud judgments, although Sungwoon does think that whoever owns the Hangover trilogy on Blu-Rays deserve to be judged even if said person is his very own boyfriend.

 

“We are going.” Seongwoo says. “I’ll just come and carry the rest of my boxes later.”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Daniel nods with an accompanied fist bump and Chungha lifts her butt from the sofa, dragging her feet towards the door.

 

“Help her out a little, ok?” Sungwoon says to Ha Won. “You know how she’s like with new people, especially since it’s your parents.”

 

“You know,” Ha Won smirks, looking every bit like Seongwoo. “You could be there to help her out in person if you just dated me instead. I’d have let you paint all the walls white.”

 

“Tempting,” Sungwoon laughs and Daniel snorts behind him.

 

“Noona, stop seducing Daniel’s boyfriend.” Seongwoo cuts in and says. “Let’s go.”

 

“Please,” Daniel mumbles under his breath while Sungwoon just shakes his head and says a proper goodbye, and reminds Chungha to not be nervous too much.

 

“Just the two of us now,” Daniel wraps his arms around Sungwoon’s waist from behind and says, chin resting on top of Sungwoon’s head.

 

“Yeah,” Sungwoon says and turns in Daniel’s arms so he is facing Daniel. “Just in time to,” he leans up to give Daniel a brief kiss. “assemble our new bed.”

 

“Nooo,” Daniel groans.

 

“C’mon,” Sungwoon pats him on the biceps and says. “The sooner we finish, the sooner we can make use of it.”

 

Daniel sighs but follows along into the bedroom. Daniel’s original bed was a single so they had to get a king size and IKEA instructions are a labyrinth of non-sense so by the time they finish putting together something resembling a bed (Sungwoon is damn sure they had put the headboard wrong _somehow_ ), it is already closing in on midnight which mean they had spent a good four hours on this.

 

“Seongwoo hyung says it went well.” Daniel yells while Sungwoon is in the shower. Sungwoon takes that with a pinch of salt because Chungha had been stress texting for hours now.

 

Daniel is face down on the bed, still void of sheets when Sungwoon comes out of the shower.

 

“I told you to put sheets on.”

 

“You did but I didn’t tell you I would.” Daniel turns and groans. “C’mon. I am so tired. I don’t even want to have sex. That’s how tired I am. You can live one night without sheets.”

 

Sungwoon rolls his eyes, but lays down next to Daniel on the sheet-less mattress. He is also exhausted and his arms are starting to ache from all the carrying and unpacking he has been doing throughout the day. Daniel puts an arm across Sungwoon’s chest and leans in close until he is nuzzling into Sungwoon’s neck.

 

“You stink,” Sungwoon tells him but Daniel does not move.

 

“Two years.” Daniel says after a while.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“We signed a two years lease, which mean you are stuck with me and not allowed to break up with me for at least two years.” Daniel says.

 

“That’s not how it works.” Sungwoon chuckles.

 

“No,” Daniel says and places a small kiss on Sungwoon’s neck. “That’s exactly how it works.”

 

“You still too tired for sex?” Sungwoon asks.

 

“I can try.” Daniel says and groans very dramatically to pull himself up.

 

“Yeah, don’t break yourself.” Sungwoon snorts and pulls him back down.

 

“Will you make me breakfast in the morning?” Daniel asks, head settling back in his favorite place aka Sungwoon’s neck.

 

“I don’t even make myself breakfast.” Sungwoon grunts.

 

Daniel mumbles something that sounds a lot like ‘ _love you’_ and falls asleep. Daniel’s ability to get himself knocked out at the drop of a hat is something Sungwoon has been jealous of for a long time. Sungwoon shifts a little so that he can get up to turn the lights off in the living room.

 

The small living room is a mess because he didn’t have time to unpack everything yet, and Seongwoo still has his boxes stuck on top of each other in the left corner, and they still need to mount the TV because Sungwoon wants it mounted instead of using a console station.

 

Sungwoon turns the light off and makes his way back into the main bedroom, making sure not to run into any of the bits and pieces lying all over the floor. Daniel is in the position that Sungwoon left him, eagle spread and hand over his bare belly. Thank god Sungwoon fought tooth and nails with Daniel to get a king sized instead of queen.

 

Sungwoon takes out the new blanket he got from IKEA earlier and puts it across Daniel before crawling in next to Daniel. Daniel mumbles and turns until he can grab at Sungwoon and pull him into his chest. Sungwoon lets out an exhale, shifts his head until he is comfortable enough and rests his hand on Daniel’s steadily rising and falling chest.

 

“Love you back.” He murmurs into the darkness and Daniel holds him tighter.


End file.
